Jeanette's Flower
by jtcarriere
Summary: Simon promises Jeanette that a rare flower found in The Gardens is hers, making Jeanette want to share her feelings for the blue sweatered Chipmunk even more. But The Gardens are left to fend for themselves as weeds start to grow and construction workers look for work. Now Simon and Jeanette must risk everything for the violet that holds their secret passion for each other.
1. Chapter 1

Simon's Point of View

For the first time in my life I was excited that school was almost over. Any other day I would have sighed at the thought of leaving the books and knowledge. I usually didn't like it when school ended and when the last bell rang, but today I was making an exception. After school I had plans with Jeanette, the chipette that I had a crush on since the day I met her. We were going out; no, not on a date, barely a walk in the park. We were both asked by our environment club to find various flowers to show everyone else at school how beautiful nature could be.

I looked in Jeanette's direction. She sat on the opposite side of the classroom, well she didn't sit, she stood on top of the desk, which could fit at least twelve of her. She was the girl of my dreams, literally. She defined beauty; her round, slim purple glasses fit perfectly on her sweet, innocent face, which had mostly soft beige fur, leaving the rest of her head with a darker shade of brown. Her hair was messy, but I liked it, her tail bushed brilliantly.

It was hard to look away, but I didn't want anyone to see me staring, that would be creepy, besides, I would get my time alone with her soon.

The bell rang at 3:15 and I could hardly contain my excitement. I hopped off my desk and waited for Jeanette at the door. After tripping on her way here, I could tell she was embarrassed and probably didn't want to talk much.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I couldn't help but worry if she was hurt.

"Oh, um… yeah." she said in a quiet voice, "Thanks." Her shyness was cute to me. It was a silent walk to our separate lockers. Every time I thought of saying something the words would get caught in my throat. I was always so nervous around her, always getting a dry throat and stuttering. Her shyness was cute, mine was pathetic. Our bags and supplies were already on the ride home with my brothers, Alvin and Theodore, and Jeanette's sisters, Brittany and Eleanor. Dave, my dad, said it was fine to be out of the house as long as we were back before dark and did nothing dangerous.

"You ready to go to The Gardens, Simon?" Jeanette questioned in a barely audible whisper. I nodded, afraid that I would say something embarrassing by accident. Jeanette smiled sweetly and we started our walk. The first five minutes were an awkward silence, it was still better than admiring her from afar. I got to be close to her, however I also had to be careful not to screw up anything. I quickly glanced at her; she looked eager to get to The Gardens; she was also walking a little closer to me than two friends normally would, not that I'm complaining.

"Um," I began, trying to start a conversation, "How have classes been?" Lame, but it was still something.

"They are very fun," she expressed, showing interest in speaking, "Mr. Leesan just started a new outdoor project." She trailed off. "Sorry, I don't want to bore you."

"You are not boring!" I replied instantly to her comment, "You're the most fun and interesting person I know." Jeanette giggled a little then dropped her head, staring at the sidewalk. Did I say something wrong? Something that might have offended her? I regretted following her motion rather than saying something, asking if I could help her with anything. We were silent until we reached The Gardens.

The Gardens were such a beautiful sight! This was my first visit and I hoped it wouldn't be my last. Both of our mouths hung open as we soaked in the beauty of the large field of flowers and trees. I took a deep breath after being knocked breathless by the sight. The air was sweet and clean and a cool, comfortable breeze greeted roses and yellow daisies swarmed the the field. Not one weed could be seen. I felt a sense of inner peace, tall, sturdy trees followed the sweet-smelling flowers.

"This place is amazing!" Jeanette exclaimed, "I want to see all of the flowers!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me along as we ran through the field. I blushed behind her, my cheeks burning. Did she know what she was doing? Did she she know she was holding my hand, or was she just over-excited? _"Please let this be real."_ I thought. Just then something caught my eye.

"Wait, Jeanette." I stopped us in our tracks.

"What is it?" She asked, turning back, clearly unhappy about stopping.

"A flower." I stated.

"A flower?"

"A flower." I pointed to the spot where the flower sat. In the midst of of a patch of roses grew a single purple violet.

"Ooh," Jeanette soothed, "That's pretty." Her eyes glossed over the violet. _"Not as pretty as you."_ I thought. At this time Jeanette noticed she was still holding my hand and immediately pulled away from me, blushing. I didn't want her to pull away, but she didn't seem to be bothered by me smiling.

"We can't pick this flower!" She begged and hung off my arm. I stared into her light purple eyes, almost matching the violet perfectly, but better and touched her shoulder. I completely forgot that we were here to pick flowers.

"This will be our flower. Our special flower." I said. Jeanette squeaked with glee and we slowly went through the rest of field for flowers.

It was starting to get dark by the time we were done picking (and maybe a little sight-seeing). Not once did we see another violet; there was only one in the entire field. I was going to count this as a date; picking flowers was peaceful enough that neither of us needed to talk much.

"Can we see the flower one more time?" Jeanette pleaded, "I want to say goodbye to it." I nodded and we ran to to the violet, still visible in the little light that evening provided. There was no verbal goodbye, we just stared at it.

"This won't be the last time we'll see it." I said without thinking or caring the fact that I was talking about a flower.

"That's a promise." Jeanette added. My heart skipped a beat, this meant that we would go on another "date"! We turned around and started our way home in a bit of a rush; neither of us would want Dave to worry. My heart stopped altogether when when Jeanette walked closer to me than before, close enough to touch.

Jeanette's Point of View

"What took you guys so long?!" Brittany, my older sister sister burst as she finished changing out of her pink tee and pink skirt and into her pink nightgown, "You were gone pretty long."

"Oh, uh…" I stammered and changed into a light purple night gown, "we had trouble finding the right flower." I didn't like lying to my sister, but I didn't want her to think I was on a date with Simon, she would only tease me and ask for what she would think would be major details.

"Uh huh, sure you did." Brittany said sarcastically, "Jeanette, if you're going to lie, you can at least make it convincing. I know you just wanted more alone time with Simon." I hiccuped out of shock. Was I that transparent? Then again, Brittany did know more about this kind of stuff than I did. She also had a big ego; true that she was very pretty, but she made sure everyone knew. She hopped onto her bed and started looking at a fashion magazine for the millionth time today. Before we got to say any more about boys the others walked in ready for bed. Eleanor, my younger sister who wasn't the skinniest chipette, but still cute and kind wore a light green night gown. Alvin, the too-cool-for-you lead singer of The Chipmunks wore red plaid pajamas. Theodore, the counterpart of Eleanor wore dark green pajamas with a food stain on the front. Then Simon walked in wearing blue plaid pajamas as I started climbing up to my bed, the top bunk on a triple bunk bed.

I stared down at Simon and hoped he wouldn't look at me. I could barely stand when I was around him, let alone climb while he looks at me. While reaching for the bed frame I heard Brittany whisper something to Eleanor and then Alvin. Distractions surrounded me, and I was too dumb to realize that there was nothing left to climb on; slipping and falling, I opened my mouth to scream but was cut short with a soft landing.

"Oof!" Simon responded to me falling on him, "Are you okay Jeanette?" All I heard was a whisper. I couldn't tell whether or not I was still falling. I burried my face in Simon's chest. Even though the pajama top wasn't as soft as his fur, I still felt safe and warm with him. My eyes remained closed, fear that I would fall if I moved and I wanted to fall asleep, escape to a dream where I could be this close to Simon without falling.

"Jeanette?"

"Hm? Oh… Yeah, I'm okay." I said sadly and opened my eyes. Everyone stared at us, worried that I was hurt at first, then probably wondering why I was still on top of Simon. I got up off of him and steadily climbed into my bed, wrapping the warm covers around me. They were nothing compared to Simon's warmth. He picked himself up and looked at me sympathetically, blushing, and lay in his own bed. I blushed back, wondering if I made him feel uncomfortable. Dave walked in and said goodnight to each of us. Before he could turn off the lights, I looked at Simon's face. Ocean blue eyes and his light to dark fur made him attractive. I thought I saw him look at me and smile before he disappeared into darkness.

"Goodnight Jeanette." I heard him whisper before drifting off into a dream; a replay of today.

Saturday morning; a day where most would want to sleep in, but not me though. I opened my eyes and put on my purple-rimmed glasses. Glancing at each bed, I noticed Simon's was empty and neatly made. Part of me wanted to find him and tell him I was sorry for falling on him, the rest of me just wanted to see him again. There were only two places he would be at this time in the morning; chatting with Dave about music or school, or on the roof. I climbed down of my bed, changed into some clothes, and dashed out the room.

"Good morning, Jeanette." Dave greeted as I walked into the kitchen. He was glaring at a music sheet. Dave wrote songs for us and managed our performances; I could tell he was having trouble.

"Good morning, Dave. Have you seen Simon?"

"He might be upstairs. Are you okay? I heard you fell last night." Dave had no idea that that we had access to the roof.

"I'm fine, thanks Dave." I scurried up to the roof. Stepping through the window, rough shingles welcomed my now cold paws. Simon sat on the edge of the roof, looking up at the sky; his fur shone brilliantly as the sun rose ever higher.

_"__Should I just say hi?"_ I thought, _"I don't want to scare him."_ I nervously took tiny steps closer, the palms of my paws getting sweaty despite the cool morning air. Having a fur coat was nice, but I still froze, only wearing a striped purple long-sleeved shirt and a polka-dot purple skirt. Simon must be warm; he had fur and a thick blue sweater. His ears pricked, did I make a noise?

"Jeanette?" He said in a hopeful tone. I was at a loss for words, what should I say?

"Sorry for falling on you!" I blurted. Idiot! I turned to leave when he laughed nervously.

"Heh heh, as… As long as you're okay." At that moment I felt no coldness what-so-ever. I lit up. He wasn't angry; maybe a little embarrassed, but all he cared about was my safety. Simon stood up from his spot.

"You're shivering." He stated. I hadn't even noticed. "L-lets get you inside." He stuttered and guided me by the hand to the window inside. I may have been freezing on the outside, but that had no effect on me, I was melting on the inside. Hand in hand, I'd let him take me anywhere, I was lost in the tingles my hand was feeling.

Everyone sat at the kitchen table, barely awake and waiting for breakfast. Theodore had a stack of toaster waffles drenched in syrup to himself and Brittany had a single waffle with assorted berries. Everyone else had yet to receive their food.

"Ah, you found him." Dave pointed out between sips of coffee. We got more stares from everyone except Brittany, who smiled and winked at me.


	2. Chapter 2

Simon's Point of View

"Alvin!" I begged, I need your help asking a girl out!" We stood alone in the living room; Alvin playing a video-game and acting as though I were never here asking for his help. The living room was clean by Dave's standards, but I always found a little something out of place.

"What for bro?" Alvin laughed, pausing his game, "You planning to do something special for Jeanette on the Chipette's birthday?" I was too embarrassed to admit it, but my expression must have said enough. Mixed emotions started piling up in my gut, and I knew annoyance was going to join them. This wasn't something Alvin was going to let go, but I was desperate for his help (not that I'll ever admit it).

"What's wrong?" Theodore asked clueless of the situation at hand. Theodore was my younger brother and the most sensitive living being on the planet.

"Simon needs help asking Jeanette out for her birthday." Alvin announced with no regard for secrets, but I guess there were no secrets among brothers; it was obvious to mine that I was crushing on Jeanette.

"Oh, well I'm making Eleanor a big breakfast, and then an even bigger lunch, and then the biggest all-you-can-eat dinner!" Theodore, the food enthusiast expressed using his hands and arms to make "big" movements.

"Brits going to the spa, I think." Alvin said, "I'm sure I'll have something for her when she gets back." always so irresponsible, never planning ahead, "What were you wanting to do for Jeanette?" I planned the answer to this question through my head all morning, during breakfast and staring longingly at Jeanette (I could have sworn she looked back once or twice). It was now evening and after giving it a lot of thought, the best I could come up with was to fulfill a promise; if everything went according to plan, Jeanette should be quite satisfied on her birthday.

"I want to take her to The Gardens." I answered, having second thoughts about whether telling Alvin this would be such a good idea, no matter how much he knew about girls. Too late to take it back now. He was charming, but Jeanette was special; I had only one chance and I could not mess this up.

"Well, you could always surprise her, trick her into going out." Alvin suggested. Surprising her wasn't that bad of an idea, a rare occasion for him. "Yeah, you could blindfold her, tie her up and drag her there in a wagon!" So much for a good idea.

"T-Tie her up…? Theodore shivered.

"He's joking, Theodore." I said, trying to calm him down by putting my arm around him.

"Or am I?" Alvin mused with an evil twinkle in his eye.

"Yes you are!" I raised my voice, "Stop scaring Theo." It took half an hour to finally get Alvin to stop his nonsense and throughout all of that time, I got an idea. Alvin said that I should make it a surprise; perfect, but how? I snapped my fingers, "That's it!" I hugged Alvin quickly, "Thank you."

"Blah! He toughed me." My red-sweatered brother tormented as I scurried up the stairs to find Dave, who I guessed was in his room getting ready for tomorrow; the girls' birthday; I needed his help. Climbing the railing, I wondered if I would really be able to pull this off. Then again, if I could handle Alvin and all of the trouble he's gotten me into I could do almost anything. Almost. I passed our room and after giving a quick glance at Jeanette talking with her sisters I slowed down to a walk. What could they be talking about? The snippet of conversation that I heard disturbed me, it made my cheeks go warm and my knees slightly weak. No time to think about it, I only had what I estimated to be half a day to plan this.

"Oof!" I groaned as I bumped into Dave's large brown shoe.

"Are you okay, Simon?" He asked, picking me up and giving me the concerned look only he could give.

"Heh heh, not really." I pushed my glasses back up on my face.

"Are you hurt?" He always went to physical injuries first.

"No, but I need to ask you something."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Um, well, I wanted to take Jeanette to The Gardens for her birthday tomorrow, but I need supplies to surprise her."

"You're free to use some, Simon, just nothing sharp and don't let Alvin touch any of it." He warned. I promised him that I wouldn't and that no harm would come to anyone.

Confusion inhabited my mind; the topic of Jeanette's conversation bothered me, not that it was any of my business. The part that I heard made me want to know more; curiosity may have killed the cat, but it wouldn't kill this chipmunk, would it? I sat on the reclining chair in the living room writing an instruction sheet; actually, it was more like a riddle. Alvin and Theodore were who-knows-where doing who-knows-what. So close to finishing the riddle; I don't mean to boast, but it was clever. Over the course of one riddle I'll have told Jeanette her destination for the day and more with only the suspense of wondering what was going to happen.

"Hey, Simon." Jeanette's wonderful voice rang from the doorway behind the chair. Where the heck did she come from?!

"Oh, hiii, Jeanette!" I spit out nervously trying to cover up the paper by stuffing it in the chair.

"C-Can we talk?" Her voice was quiet and I almost wondered if she was actually saying something and it wasn't just my imagination. I've never heard her sound this shy before; she was stuttering after nearly every word and she was even acting different, constantly keeping her face down. It was impossible to make eye-contact.

"But of course," I said coolly, "What do you want to talk about?" She blushed and looked around as if panicking, hoping for something to happen.

"Um, do you maybe want to…" Her voice trailed off. Something was wrong and last time I ignored it. I reached out to touch her shoulder

"Is everything okay?" I whispered closely, her cheeks burning bright red through her fur.

"Umm," She stuttered, "D-Dave mentioned that h-he had some new songs f-for us to perform…" she was beginning to break down; lifting her chin and looking into her teared-up eyes I waited for her to calm down patiently. "Sing with me!" She blurted then dropped her head again. I smiled, knowing that Dave was thinking of getting us to try out duets and singles in hopes of getting our fans to connect with us better, but I never thought that I would be able to sing a duet with Jeanette, especially before Dave approved for concerts!

"Jeanette, of course I'll sing with you." I squeaked. Her eyes lit up and in that instant her sad, indigo pearls shone brightly complimented by her smile. Without a goodbye, she ran off; I could still see her smile, envisioning it everywhere I looked, happily knowing that I caused it. I pulled out the riddle from the chair. Was singing the topic of her conversation? I thought back to what she and Brittany were talking about, analyzing what connection it could have with what just happened.

"Well, what is it that you want?" Brittany had asked.

A one-word reply from a quiet Jeanette, "Simon."

Jeanette's Point of View

"Brittany, I did it!" Excitedly, I gave both her and Eleanor a hug. It was impossible for me to stop smiling; Simon agreed to sing with me! Only me! My sisters understood how I felt, I've confessed my feelings for Simon to them before gathering up the courage to speak with him (although something tells me Brittany already knew).

"Told you he liked you back." Brittany teased.

"He never actually said he liked me." My voice dwindled, "he only agreed to sing with me."

"I thought you were going to ask him out." Eleanor stated. We were back in our room talking again; we've been talking a lot lately.

"I wanted to, but I panicked and ended up accidentally screaming in his face." It was embarrassing to even think about how I approached the question.

"It's not the end of the world, you still have a chance with him." Brittany tried to encourage me. I nodded unsure whether that was true or not.

"What song were you wanting to sing?" Eleanor asked hopping up and down with excitement.

"I don't know." This wasn't entirely true and I didn't like lying to my sister, but the truth is that I had a few in mind. It seemed like singing a duet with Simon was only a dream. It was dark and getting darker, time for bed. Maybe I would experience the perfect duet in a vivid dream world.

Dave softly tucked me and my sisters in; he always treated us like princesses when our birthday came up.

"Goodnight girls." He said. I don't know if I was imagining or not, but I thought I saw him wink at Alvin as he turned out the light and closed the door.

I don't remember falling asleep; one minute I could hear my own breathing, slow and even, and see my own thoughts, happy and unrealistic, the next I'm being shaken awake by my sisters.

"Happy birthday!" They both screamed.

"I smiled and yawned, "Happy birthday to the both of you." this was without a doubt the best way to wake up on my birthday. I looked to the other beds and they were empty.

"Get dressed!" Eleanor said cheerfully, "Dave said he had something for us, something special!" She was always so excited on our birthday. I dressed quickly and followed my sisters out the open door. What did Eleanor mean by something special? We hopped down each stair when we were stopped by Dave.

"Hold it, Girls!" He held out his hands and kneeled down so we couldn't enter the kitchen, "Theodore isn't done yet." If Theodore was cooking, we had something delightful on the road ahead; today was going to be good.

"Is the breakfast the special gift?" I asked with my mouth watering. Theodore always made such delicious delicacies.

"No," Dave laughed, "close your eyes." We did as we were told. "Now open." We all gasped at what lay before us; three silk sundresses; one different shades of pink with sparkles trimming the bottom, one different shades of green with a jewel in the middle, and one light blue on top shading darker as it went lower and fading into purple at the bottom; that is the one I instinctively reached for.

"Now these are pretty." Brittany stated mesmerized by the sight of her pink sundress.

"I thought you might say that." Dave pointed out, "Why don't you three go try them on, Theodore will be done soon." Before the long climb back up the stairs the three of us jumped up on Dave and gave tiny hugs.

"Thanks, Dave."

"Thanks, Dave"

"Thank you."

"Happy birthday, girls." He responded with a large smile.

"It fits you perfectly!" I heard Eleanor compliment Brittany outside the room.

"I know." Brittany boasted, "Wait 'till everyone sees it!" Her excitement could be felt through the door; she really wanted to show herself and the dress off.

"Come on, Jeanette." Eleanor said, "Lets see you now." I slowly opened the door in the delightful sundress and was greeted with my sisters' mouths hanging open and their eyes sparkling.

"Wow." They said together. I felt so light moving in the dress, so comfortable. Where in the world did Dave find these perfect dresses? My sisters continued to stare and I blushed awkwardly.

"Well give us a twirl!" Brittany ordered. A twirl? I started spinning as I was told and stumbled after the third rotation. I balanced myself on Eleanor's shoulder and gave looks to the Chipettes that smiled at my little ballet.

"So, um," I muttered, "what do you think?" Brittany took my hand and then Eleanor's and we started walking to the staircase to enjoy a sweet-smelling breakfast.

"I think Simon won't be able to take his eyes off you." She said.

"Where's Simon?" I asked, giddy to show him my sundress. I noticed his absence as soon as I entered the kitchen, which, despite Alvin and Theodore surrounding us and wishing us a happy birthday, still seemed slightly hollow.

"He went out." Alvin said nonchalantly, "He told me to give you this." He handed me a note. I sank into disappointment; how could he not be here on my birthday? My eyes lowered down to the note, getting lost in his written words:

"Dearest Jeanette,

Please excuse my not being here the morning of your special day, something important came up. I'd wish you a happy birthday in this note, but I'll be seeing you later today if you guess the answer to this riddle.

"You're light as a feather and bright as the sun,

You're soft and innocent, but know how to have fun.

You are a flower." Where am I?

"A flower, huh?" Brittany questioned behind my shoulder and making me jump.

"Don't scare me like that!" I breathed heavily.

"A flower?" Theodore asked, filling our plates with the first course of our meal.

"A flower." I whispered. The Gardens.


	3. Chapter 3

Simon's Point of View

I'd been debating whether this was going to count as a date or not and finally decided that it was. Wow, did I really ask Jeanette out on her birthday? No, not unless she figured out the riddle inside and out. It was slow going to the gardens; I packed a picnic filled with food from Theodore and Dave. Long walks were usually fun, but when you have to carry a full picnic basket and you're a chipmunk, it isn't the easiest thing to do and my first stop wasn't even my destination! My first stop was to the closest greenhouse I could find; here I would pick up some fertilizer to aid in the health of Jeanette's violet. I waddled inside the curved building, a bead of sweat forming on my forehead shortly after. Like the gardens, plants were everywhere as well as garden supplies, and hand-grown food at the back. It was uncomfortably hot and the smell and taste of the mugginess only added to the awkward feeling.

"Can I help you find anything?" An elderly lady with curly hair kindly asked, not bothered by my stature or species. Guess she saw me as just another customer. She could have been Dave's grandmother, it's a wonder how she wasn't passing out right now!

"May I have a cup of fertilizer?" I stuttered. How stupid, who ever had to go to a greenhouse to ask for a single cup of fertilizer?! To make things worse, I forgot to bring anything to carry it in. how was I the smart chipmunk? "It's only for one plant," I quickly added, "A flower." the lady just smiled and found a cheap fertilizer and dumped enough to fill a medium-sized zip-lock bag.

"This must be a special flower." She finally said ending the awkward silence.

"It is." I said, sensing she wanted to start up a full conversation, "It's very important to my friend." I dropped when I said the word friend. I wanted more than friendship, but I didn't see that happening anytime soon. "I found it in The Gardens for her."

"The Gardens, eh?" She questioned as I were at an interview, making it a bad thing. "Heard talk that they were thinking of tearing that place down, they want to replace it." Her voice was cold and hard, this was a true gardener. Speechless, breathless, and shock; these were three simple words that described how I felt the moment I heard the rumor leave the lady's mouth. I carefully placed down the picnic basket and took a few calming breaths. Jeanette's favorite place to be, demolished? She would be heartbroken. I couldn't let that happen!

"It's just talk," The lady attempted to reassure, "besides, I know that people, or chipmunks, like you are what will save that wonderful place from dying. You are the life to the dying land." She zipped the bag tightly and gently placed it in the basket for me. "No charge, just promise me that you'll take good care of that flower." She smiled and I smiled back weakly.

_"It's just talk." _The lady's words echoed through my head, booming like a bullhorn, as I sat by the purple mass of innocence that was the violet. It didn't deserve to die, none of the flowers did. I did my best to bathe the violet in fertilized dirt, hoping it would still look nice for Jeanette. It was the first time I noticed that The Gardens were almost completely empty. Why did no one ever visit? Didn't anyone want this beautiful paradise to remain? What could they, the people of this community, want to replace it with?

"Stop thinking like that!" I scolded myself, "This place, this violet will not die, not if I can help it!" To quickly distract myself from the situation, I shuffled through the basket to set the picnic; with Jeanette being as smart as she was I knew she would be here soon. Sandwiches, fruit, and nuts with bottled water built the picnic. The blanket, the food, her gift in the basket. Everything was set for her special surprise.

"Well well, what have we here?" A rough voice sounded through my ears. I turned to find a large man in a hard hat and safety vest standing behind me, "Never thought there was any wildlife left, oh and the cute little critter brought me lunch!"

"Hey, back off! And what was that supposed to mean, wildlife?" I angrily asked, insulted by everything that this man said. I glared up into his rough eyes, I suddenly hoped he wasn't as rough as his voice.

"What the?!" He expressed, "I've been in the sun too long. This can't be real, critters talking."

"Guess again." I stated, "Do you mind, I'm kind of having a picnic here."

"Oh of course, uh, sir." The worker stammered, "Enjoy it while you still can little fella. Be sure to abandon this place like everyone else within the month." Before I could ask any questions, the worker was on his way shaking his head like he'd just seen a ghost.

_"A construction worker."_ I thought, "_Am I already too late? Are The Gardens really dying?"_

"Wow!" Another voice soothed my ears, a more gentle and welcoming voice. A familiar voice.

"Jeanette!" I yelled, hoping to cover up my previous feeling of dread, "Happy birthday!" I subconsciously hugged her, sharing a much better warmth than the greenhouse. She said no words, just returned the hug; personally I think that was the best thing she could have done, the best way to say thank you."

"Wow!" I repeated her enthusiasm as I got a good look at her. She wore a radiating blue and purple sundress that only made she herself more stunning. I didn't think I could take my eyes off her until she looked away from me to gaze at everything I set out.

"So," I looked down, my shyness starting to overcome me, making afraid to say what was on my mind, "you solved the riddle." She looked back, her eyes sunk into mine.

"Of course! I can't believe you set this up and just for me!" A breeze began to blow and I looked over everything once more before slowly taking Jeanette's hand and, guiding her to the picnic staged in front of her violet, showed her the fertilized soil.

"I think it deserves the best." I said, thinking of Jeanette more than the flower. Maybe we had different versions of the word, but no matter what hers was, what I said still made her blush. "I got you something." I announced and reached into the almost empty basket.

"There's more?" She asked dreamily after finishing an apple. I took that as a sign that I succeeded in making her birthday special. I handed her an envelope and she opened it questioningly. Inside I put a thin piece of paper with writing on it.

"What is this?" She asked quietly.

"You know how you wanted to sing a duet with me?" She nodded. "Well how about that song?" Her eyes instantly widened.

"Really?" She stood still as a statue, her face frozen in shock. I nodded and it was my turn to be surprised. Not half a second after my nod I felt her lips against mine and her body close. Some would call that a kiss, others would call it a peck due to how short it lasted. Me? I nonetheless called it heaven.

Sadly, heaven was cut short as she lifted her lips her eyes as surprised as mine at what she did. How I was standing was beyond my knowledge, but the fact that I was able to follow Jeanette who chased the paper, the song, that she dropped during our embrace was more of a miracle. The ever-growing wind didn't help in catching it.

"Got it!" she called though a patch of flowers and grass.

_"Nothing can ruin this."_ I thought; until I heard her squeak.

Jeanette's Point of View

"Ow, that hurts!" I squealed as Simon dabbed my arm with his sweater. Cuts covered my arm which used to have at least a dozen thorns stuck in it. I sat on the ground with Simon right next to me.

"There are only two thorns left." He stated, "Come on, Jeanie, you can take two more pulls." I braced myself for the next surge of pain that would come form the thorn being taken out of my arm. I glared at my landing spot after tripping. A patch of weeds, weeds with evil thorns, somewhat bloody thorns.

"I got the song." I winced as Simon carefully pulled out another thorn. I analyzed him, concerned when he didn't reply. Glasses pushed against his face, a small blood stain on the sleeve of his otherwise blue sweater, and a smile. I knew what was on his mind as he tenderly treated my wounds. I ruined the moment by getting injured, but I still kissed him. I couldn't believe it, I kissed Simon Seville! One question came to mind; did he like it? It didn't last long, but it was still perfect … and awkward. I sighed fantasizing about another kiss. The only thing that could be heard other than my small whimpers of pain was the wind freely blasting.

_"Lucky."_ I thought, _"The wind gets to do whatever it wants; carelessly blowing with no consequences."_ Simon's smile faded into a frown. I knew he wouldn't like me! I fought back tears, "Sorry," I interjected with his train of thought as he blinked, "I don't know what came over me." Did I sense shame in my own voice?

"What are you talking about?" He asked, dumbfounded by my shamed sentence. I could tell he was intent on treating my arm, but gave me his own concern for my thoughts. Was that it? Have I been over-thinking everything this entire time?

"I made you uncomfortable…" What was I thinking? Of course he wouldn't think of us as anything more than friends! I'm not over-thinking this. You can't just kiss a boy out of nowhere like that no matter how ecstatic you are!

"No, that's not it." He said and returned his friendly smile, "It's just, we ran through every garden the other day and I saw no weeds whatsoever." He was right. Out of the hours that we spent here, I saw no weeds, and now I fall into an entire patch?

"Doesn't anyone come to care for these gardens?" I wondered out loud.

"No, in fact I heard that the original gardeners abandoned this place." What?! Who would abandon such a miraculous place? As if reading my mind, Simon spoke seriously, firmly, for the first time in my life.

"There was a construction worker here earlier and because no one takes care of this place, they are going to tear it down, replace it for houses or something like that." I was shattered. This place gone? I loved this place, I literally just shared my first kiss here! Simon grabbed my hands, sensing my fear and sadness. "We don't have to let this place die." He said, "We should fight for it, why don't we take care of this special place?" Was he really serious? Could we -two chipmunks- be able to care for fifteen acres of flowers, trees, and land by ourselves? He read my mind again, "I think we could do it; it'll be hard, but I think we can save this place." He stood up and collected the remains of the picnic, leaving me to think about what he had to say. Did he love this place as much as I did, or did he just want to fight to make me happy? I watched him do it all; this man, this chipmunk, had faith in me and was more than willing to save The Gardens with me. For me. Whether the kiss put us in a relationship or not I knew we had grown closer.

The wind picked up and the sunny sky grew dark and cloudy. Not fluffy white cloudy, black endless cloudy. A drop of water hit my nose and I giggled.

"I guess we won't have to water the flowers anytime soon."

"Yes, but it also means more weeds will come." Simon said and looked around the violet before we started home; hopefully we wouldn't get too wet. I was clearly mistaken as we were attacked by billions of black raindrops. A half hour walk with a picnic basket, we were seriously going to get wet. The rain poured and a storm was sure to follow; with my fur soaked, I stood by Simon who fell behind. He was carrying the basket, the basket that held numerous containers, some filled with food, bottles of water, and our song. I had no intentions of running ahead and leaving his side.

"You could use a towel." Brittany greeted us as we burst through the door, which was luckily open. "Dave, get Simon and Jeanette a towel!" No labor for Brittany, not after a day of being pampered at the spa. I had to admit though, she did look even prettier than usual; her pampering did not go unnoticed.

"So how was the picnic?" I overheard Theodore ask his older brother, who never got a chance to answer.

"Dry up you two," Dave ordered, "Alvin has a surprise for Brittany and he wants everyone to hear it.

_"__Must be a big deal if he wants to in front of everyone." _I thought. How would Brittany feel about this; she liked Alvin, I knew that much, but I was unsure if she liked him the way I liked Simon. I prayed Alvin wasn't going to pull a prank, not today of all days, not on Brittany's birthday.

Dave sat us down on the couch, it's rough leather cushion covered with a warm blanket. I made sure to snag a spot next to Simon; we sat close, almost huddled for each others warmth. Almost.

"Ladies and Gentlemunks," Alvin began, "The gift that I got Brittany does not come in a box. It isn't wrapped. It isn't even here!"

"I knew it." Simon whispered to me. Brittany had a confused look spread across her vanilla face.

"The present," Alvin continued, "is a concert in her honor." Dave's eyes grew wide, but no words escaped his gaping mouth. "I am asking you guys, everyone EXCEPT Brittany to perform for her." I looked at Brittany who burned red; red like Alvin's sweater, but I don't think it was out of anger.

"You organized this by yourself?" Dave asked, oblivious to his facial expression and disbelief in his tone.

"Yup." Alvin said in his usual cool way, "Don't sound so surprised, Dave." Alvin then shot him his signature "I'm awesome" look and sat down next to Brittany. "You're welcome. And Simon," He turned to his younger brother in blue, "in your face." Everyone other than Dave laughed.

"I think you need to work on your whispering." I whispered in Simon's ear.

"I'll say." He sighed back.

It was the end of the day, time to relax before school tomorrow.

"Did today really happen?" I asked myself this question multiple times and still couldn't tell; everything that happened was so dream-like. We sat on the couch while the boys went in the kitchen to have a snack after their long day of making our own day special.

"Can you believe that Alvin did that?" Brittany said for the third time. It was a little hard to believe that Alvin of all chipmunks did something like this; I haven't seen Brittany stop smiling all night.

"It's pretty shocking." Eleanor burped, "I don't think I could eat another bite if my life depended on it!" Theodore had flooded her with sweets and I knew she would sleep well tonight. "What about you, Jeanette?" She asked, " How was your date with Simon?"

"Careful, Elli," Brittany joked, "she doesn't want to believe it was a date, even though it totally was!"

"Maybe it was." I admitted. Why did Brittany always have to bother me on this?

"Oh ho, she confessed. Jeanette confessed to going on a date with Simon! Something went down at your 'special place.'"

I blushed, stammering I retorted, "Well, it was actually really great. Super f-"

"Then what's with the cuts on your arm?" Brittany interrupted. I never knew she was so observant.

"Oh.. Nothing, just some thorned weeds I fell into."

"Jeanie! Are you okay?!" Brittany nearly screamed. She'd better not alert the guys. She and Eleanor wrapped their arms around me.

"Of course I am!" I confessed, "I feel great! Because I fell, I got even more attention from Simon." I told my sisters about everything that happened except for my present, the song. That shall remain private for now.

"You kissed?!" Brittany squealed. I knew she would want details, every detail. No matter how in-depth.

"Yeah," My knees wobbled at the thought of it, replaying the brief moment of heaven. This was tough to explain and talk about, even to my sisters who looked so excited to hear about my possible love life.

"Wow, Jeanette," Brittany applauded, "I guess you know what you're doing after-all."


	4. Chapter 4

Simon's Point of View

"Achoo!" I sneezed as I lay down for bed, shivering. I've been shivering endlessly since getting home and it was more annoying than sickening.

"Bless you." The three Chipettes said in sync. I'm sure Alvin and Theodore would have joined in, but they both already fell asleep even before Dave entered to say goodnight.

"Simon, are you feeling okay?" Dave asked, "You've been sneezing a lot, let me feel your head."

"I feel fine, Dave." I sniffed and sneezed again; way to help my case. Surely I couldn't be sick; I was only out in the cold rain for half an hour, and with Jeanette to warm me up afterwards I was perfectly fine, the exact opposite of sick! A minor headache was the only pain I felt, nothing to qualify as even a cold.

"Well you feel fine." Dave said with a hint of doubt, "Get a full nights rest and we'll see how you feel in the morning." He said goodnight to everyone left awake and patted my brothers who snored peacefully. My head was spinning and despite having a headache I couldn't help but think that the spinning was from kissing Jeanette.

"Goodnight, Simon." I heard Jeanette say through my heavy eyes, "Have a pleasant sleep." I thought I said goodnight, but I really had no memory of it when my eyes flew open and all I could see was darkness. Sitting up, I felt sweat drip down my forehead and stain my blue pajama shirt. I breathed heavily as if waking up form a nightmare, but I don't remember dreaming. Sleep eluded me and no amount of simply lying down and closing my eyes would bring me to dream-world. The only thought that inhabited my mind was what the construction worker said back at The Gardens. One month, thirty short days was all we had to save every acre of that land, otherwise it would be gone forever, dead. With such a short deadline, I had my doubts, but I knew what I was signing up for. I could do it, I just had to treat it like a school project. The only difference: I was working, fighting for something much more important than grades.

My mouth was desert dry and without water, it was tough to even sit up; did this make me weak? I slid off my bed and landed awkwardly. Water; that was my mission right now. The door creaked as I opened it, begging to wake everyone, that would only cause problems and questions. My well-being was important, but no one needed to know I was feeling a little under the weather.

Down the stairs, a short walk to kitchen, and a climb up to the sink nearly brought me to my knees. I couldn't move much without the threat of falling, the kitchen seeming miles away. I turned the faucet and was welcomed by cool water. I dipped my head in, slurping for mouthfuls of the tasteless liquid. Rather than wanting to drink more, it felt better on my head, cooling me down. Just a cold, not a fever. I should have been telling myself this, but I liked being welcomed by something late at night. I dove in the streaming false waterfall, showering, hydrating my body. This was peaceful, I felt neither hot or cold.

"Simon?" A voice not unlike Jeanette's yet completely different startled me. I stepped out of the streaming water and redressed then tackled the odd shaped faucet back into place, to turn off the water.

"Brittany?" I thought out loud, "Why are you up at this time?" I looked over to the clock with it's hands giving the time of midnight. Odd, Brittany was never up past nine or before seven, and that was on a school night!

"I could ask you the same thing; even you get at least eight hours."

"Oh I was, uh just getting a glass of water." I tried my best to tell the truth but panicked, climbing up out of the sink to greet the chipette dressed in pink.

"Uh huh, that must be one big glass." She said sarcastically and looking at my matted fur.

"And cooling off." I added, probably a little too late. Brittany wasn't stupid, she could tell something was wrong. I was glad she decided to leave it.

"Well since you're up, I need to talk to you." It sounded like an interrogation with her words out and no way to avoid it.

"What about?" I asked in a kind, cooperative manner, holding back a cough. Already I could feel myself getting hot again. I hoped this wouldn't be a long talk.

"Jeanette." She stated, "Are you being good to her? Treating her right?" This was sudden, did she know about our kiss in The Gardens?

"Of course!" I answered, a little offended. Jeanette deserved that, didn't she? Her protective sister was just watching out for her and I needed to show that I was worthy of Jeanette's friendship at least. "She's like a flower."

"A flower?" Probably not the answer Brittany was expecting.

"Yeah," How would I word this without making it sound like I'm in love? "She's delicate, innocent." Brittany glared at me; she didn't know what I was getting at, the riddle was being brought up all over again. "If you're bad to a flower, it'll wilt and die, you won't get to enjoy everything it has to offer. When you're good to it, it will blossom and brighten your world, even when you think nothing can." I liked the way my own words were flowing, I just couldn't shut up, "Jeanette is special, she's a rare flower and deserves extra special care." This little speech seemed to make Brittany happy. Was she picking up what I was putting down?

"Thanks for being good to her, Si." She smiled and turned towards the staircase to bed, forgetting about the reason she came down in the first place… I think. "Oh, one more thing," She turned back, "has Alvin ever talked about me?" I thought about it, back to all those arguments I had with my older brother, had he once ever even mentioned Brittany?

"No I don't think so, sorry." I felt bad making her ears drop and her suspense-filled excitement killed. "But," I quickly stammered, looking for something encouraging to say, "He was telling me about your surprise concert earlier." This was a lie, but I couldn't send Brittany to bed upset.

"Really?" She perked up and in a softer voice said, "Yay… I still can't believe he did that. Goodnight, Si." She ran up to bed, allowing me to finally cough and wheeze. I felt more like choking, but the after-feeling was nice and calm. I wet my fur once more and went up; laying my damp, now pounding head on soft blue pillow gave me no satisfaction. I yawned and shifted sides restlessly, waiting for sleep to come. No luck, no matter what I did; not even humming a tune in a desperate attempt to gain some comfort. I sighed and lay back staring at the ceiling. School, work, sleep. This was my schedule for tomorrow and probably the days later. Could I do all that while being sick? No, if I believed I wasn't sick, if I behaved like I wasn't sick then I wouldn't be sick.

My eyes closed themselves and I bordered between sleep and wakefulness. My mind said sleep, you need it while my body said move around, you can sleep later. I wished Jeanette was here beside me; maybe it would be a bit awkward, but I knew I'd be able to sleep peacefully, comfortably. I looked over at her bed and coughed. I needed her. My mouth was dry and my tongue cracked, I had no energy to drag myself back down to the sink. An earthquake began in my head and on top of all my thoughts the symptom of a headache (which is an understatement) made it impossible to sleep.

"_Come on, Simon!"_ I thought, _"Suck it up and push through it!" _Despite my low food intake, my stomach twisted and turned. This night would never end! I secretly prayed someone would wake up, anyone; even Alvin, I just want company, not to be alone this painful night. This was no cold, this was a running fever, but I had to stay positive, _"This is just a one-night thing."_ I made a commitment to Jeanette and The Gardens to be there for them and I was not willing to break that commitment, especially on the first day because I was sick! How horrible would that be?

I sat up, dizzy without even moving. Too tired to move, but I did so anyway. Slowly climbing down the bed, I tip-toed to Theodore's secret stash of snacks under his bed.

"_Please have something to drink."_ I begged. Throughout the bags of chips and nuts and old sandwiches I found only one juice-box. "Thank you." I whispered to my sleeping brother.

"Mm, Simon, is that you?" Theodore mumbled, his eyes groggy and barely open.

"Shh, back to sleep, Theo, you're dreaming." I touched his shoulder and he breathed.

"Oh," He yawned, "Okay." Back to snoring.

I shivered and sipped the juice in bed. No warmth came from the blanket around me. The water that stuck to my fur had turned to sweat and there was no way of changing that.

"_You need sleep!" _I told myself, "_Long hours in the heat tomorrow, no way can I miss that!"_ I can't let that happen, that would bring pain and the flowers would die. I figured the most sleep I would be getting was the rest from passing out in the hot sun, so much for a full nights rest. _"Sleep! Sleep! Sleep!"_ I angrily yelled at myself as the clock struck one.

Jeanette's Point of View

Simon didn't wake up early like he usually would have; he didn't make his bed, he was barely breathing by the looks of it.

"Wake up, Simon." I cooed, "Time for school!" He was usually so excited to get to school, but today he slept in. When he sat up I wondered what had gone on in his sleep. His shirt was black with either water or sweat and clung to his body along with his fur. "Are you okay?" I frowned.

"Hm?" He replied rubbing his eyes sleepily, "Oh, I'm fine!"He smiled at me and we hopped off his bed together. He quickly changed in his dresser and accompanied me down the stairs. Having no time to eat breakfast, I asked Theodore if he could grab a little something for Simon; gladly, he agreed and we sat in the car waiting for West Eastman to appear. I looked beside me to Simon, who ate nothing and kept his eyes closed the entire ride. Something was seriously wrong; I figured he ha a cold with all of his sneezing, had it gotten worse? Simon never got sick though! After everything he did to prevent getting ill he really didn't deserve it.

"So, Simon how are you feeling?" Dave looked in the mirror back at him and everyone stared.

"I feel great, Dave, healthy as a horse." Simon replied but showed no matching emotion for his words. He looked at his brothers and then me with a reassuring look and mouthed the words "I'm fine" to me as I gave him a scared look. I could feel the pounding in his head as he tilted it back, pain streaked across his face.

"I know you're not feeling well." I whispered, "Why don't you just tell Dave? I'm sure he'd let you stay home and rest."

"No no," He reassured, "I'm fine, besides, The Gardens can't take care of themselves." If this was an attempt to make me feel better, it didn't work.

Late to all of his classes and he expected me to think he was fine?! The day was slow, the classes endless as I watched Simon slowly suffer, knowing I could do nothing for him.

"Simon!" I pleaded as we walked to The Gardens with a bucket in each hand, "You need to rest!" My voice cracked on the first word, I choked on the rest and still Simon insisted that he work today. There was nothing I could do, he was too determined, too stubborn.

"I promise I'll rest when we get home." He said; knowing this only left me with a fraction of the comfort I would be feeling if he'd stayed home and rested in the first place.

Collecting weeds in the sun may not seem like much, but it was hard! Millions of weeds to pick and we had to be careful with the thorns. The dirt was wet and muddy and at times we started to sink up to our waists. It was tiring work, but it was fun. If Simon didn't stop to catch his breath I'd have forgotten he was sick. From four to eight we pulled weeds, just managing to go through the fifteen acres and filling almost fifty buckets!

"We're done, Simon." I panted, "We're done for today."

"Ugh." He sighed and I let him lean on me, not that I didn't enjoy it. His arms wrapped around me but he kept his face away.

Simon kept his promise; he made and kept that same promise the following day, but I saw no change in his actions, he still seemed ill. It was good to know that his creative mind wasn't affected. After the second day of work, we figured that having to water the plants and pull the weeds would take all evening and night to do; so Simon came up with the idea to fly. Okay, not flying itself, but he was able to work on one of Dave's old toy airplanes, giving it the ability to fly while carrying large buckets of water! My brilliant Munk! I couldn't believe he was able to do this while being sick.

"_He has so many talents."_ I fantasized.

The school week was over and we were both exhausted! Friday evening we were nearly finished work. It had been a hot day, almost like a heat wave and with all the time and effort we put into the welfare of The Gardens I really hoped someone would notice how well it was being cared for; with about three weeks left before the scheduled demolition date, we could use the support. I've been thinking of ways to gather followers and helpers, but with little rest I wound up with nothing.

"Simon, I think we should call it a day." No reply, only a groan. "Simon? Simon!" I rushed to the fallen bespectacled chipmunk. He was breathing, thank goodness, he must have passed out from exhaustion. I couldn't carry him home, impossible. I looked around desperately, was there no one around to help?

"Help!" I called out.

"You okay, Mis- Wait, what?" A man wearing a tie and hard hat ran up to us.

"Please, sir. Help us." I bent down on my knees next to Simon and begged, barely able to fight away tears, "He's passed out and I don't know what to do."

"Er, okay." The man said and pulled out a cell-phone, "Who do I call?"

"Dave!" I screamed. I stuttered while I gave him the number and after only a few minutes of listening to the man talk I felt safe knowing that Dave was on his way.

"What are you kids doing out here?" The man asked kindly.

"W-We're taking care of the flowers…" I couldn't speak anymore, I choked on my own breath and cried. I let this happen to Simon.

"You're wasting your time, kid." The man sighed, "This land gets demolished in a week-and-a-half; nothing's gonna change that."

"W-What?" I gasped, tears pouring down my dirty cheeks. Was all our hard work for nothing? Did Simon risk his health for nothing? Dave's car pulled up at the nearest road and I witnessed him jump out of it. I couldn't move, couldn't speak. I let Dave carry me and Simon to the car that immediately took us home.

My fur was now clean, my thoughts were non-existent. I sat at Simon's side as he lay in his bed, waiting for him to wake up. Brittany and Dave tried to talk to me, but I just shooed them away. I couldn't look at them, the guilt they would make me feel. Dave, being our adoptive father, would be concerned and say "It wasn't your fault." Brittany would be herself and say gossip that would just add to the stress. They both meant well, but they weren't the right ones to talk to now.

"Jeanette?" I turned and found Alvin and Theodore standing in the doorway.

"G-Go away…" I said halfheartedly, focusing more on Simon.

"We were thinking." Theodore began shyly, ignoring my words.

"Since Simon's kind of incapacitated." Alvin continued.

"_Watch it, Seville." _I growled to myself.

"Maybe we could help you care for your flowers or something." Did they really just ask to help…?

"R-Really?" I couldn't believe it, "We could use all the help we can get, especially with our time cut short. Thank you." I gave each chipmunk a hug and returned to Simon's side; how was I going to tell him that we had even less time? He worked himself out enough as it was.

"We know that The Gardens mean a lot to you two." Theodore stated.

"Thanks guys…" Simon's dry voice was weak and frail, but he smiled nonetheless.


	5. Chapter 5

Simon's Point of View

Bedridden and useless. This was my second full day of rest and I was sick of it. I wanted to get back out there, to care for The Gardens, to be with Jeanette. I was trapped here and for no reason. Since passing out I've felt so much better.

"Dave!" I called, forced to stay in bed with the threat of never being allowed to go out, even if I so much as left the room for any reason other than needing to.

"Yeah, Simon?" Dave entered my room, ready for anything. In his right hand he carried a bottle of cough syrup and bottle of water in a bucket, in his left he held a phone. The bucket wasn't necessary, but like any other parent, adoptive or not, Dave worried; although it may also have something to do with the fact that I collapsed the other day. With long, work-less days I've had time to rest, something I haven't been able to do for the days before. Though it cost me the weekend of work and making The Gardens better, my head no longer pounded, my stomach no longer ached, and I could move on my own without a repeat of Friday. I was now ready for work and shouldn't be locked up, metaphorically chained to my bed!

"I've asked you three times and I'm going to ask again," I pestered, "please, may I go to The Gardens and work?"

"Simon, I don't think you're ready to start working again." He sounded sorry, but was he really? Why did safety always have to come first to a parent? Didn't Dave realize how much was at stake?

"But it's just picking weeds." I whined; the work itself was easy once you got used to it. Pick, place, pick, place. It was the sheer amount that made the work so grueling.

"Simon," Dave began, "I know you want to help save The Gardens, but like Jeanette said; with only just more than a week before demolition, there isn't much you can do."

"Jeanette said that?" I croaked. This was the first I've heard of our time being cut.

"She said that she told you," Dave informed, "don't you remember?" Truth is I didn't. Through my blurred vision the first time I woke up after my mishap I witnessed Jeanette talking to my brothers, who looked at me from behind her with what I assumed was a concerned look. After thanking my brothers I remember no other words being spoken. Jeanette's mouth remained shut, she just stood on the bed frame by my side and held my hand as if I were on my deathbed. I wasn't sure about how long she stayed with me after I fell back asleep, but when I woke up again it was late into the next morning and she was probably down finishing breakfast or doing chores. Bottom-line, Jeanette had kept something from me, something I deserved to know. "I'll tell you what," Dave bargained, "if you're really feeling better, later I'll bring you down to The Gardens and you can help pull weeds under my super-"

"Deal!" I agreed before letting him finish his sentence. I needed this chance to talk to Jeanette; she owed me an explanation.

"Get ready then," Dave sighed, "but take your time." No dizziness, no trouble. After a quick snack it wasn't long before I was sitting in the car on my way to what felt like a second home to me. The Gardens always had a homey feel to it, providing anyone who bothered to come by with relaxation. We pulled up mid-thought to the gracious land and, infuriated with what I saw, I jumped out of the vehicle, no longer feeling fatigue from sickness, and dashed towards one of the three signs that had been hammered into the now dead soil.

_"What is this?"_ I asked myself. The signs all read the same thing and covered the edge of The Gardens. "Want something to visit? Be back the twenty-third for the fun and deliciousness of a new restaurant! Demolition begins next Monday!" Next Monday? That was a week form now! What else could have happened while I was away? "Jeanette?" I called. No answer. She must be out of earshot, no noise to block out my calling other than Dave's footsteps. "Jeanette! Alvin! Theodore!"

"Is that Simon?" I heard Alvin's voice rustle through the tall grass and I ran after it, jumping into my older brother and hugging him for the first time because I actually wanted to.

"What happened?" I asked frantically looking around at everything. The once green and leafy plants began to burn brown and at least half of the visible patches of flowers had been consumed by weeds. This was not looking good and to make it worse the weeds were still growing. Alvin pushed me off him looking uncomfortable. It wasn't often that I hugged him, guess it was a bit of a shock.

"It's kind of a massacre." Alvin said. A massacre? That's an understatement.

"Don't tell me you were incapable of pulling weeds." I crossed my arms knowing that if that was the case, my headache would return quickly.

"I can pull weeds just fine for your information," He retorted, "It's just that our first day construction workers were here; they purposely stomped on any plant n their way. They set up the signs and didn't do anything with their mess. They acted like me on Christmas and that hurt us bad!"

"Why are the plants so dry?" I wanted to know everything. If he held back at all on his answer…

"Theodore kinda crashed the watering plane." This had better not be a joke; even Alvin wouldn't joke at a time like this, would he? "Since then it's been a heavier work-load." We were falling apart. We were all falling apart. We had a low water source, we were overrun by weeds and we had construction workers that wouldn't get off our backs. At least there was a we.

_"I'm glad I'm not alone."_ I was glad to have great brothers, glad to have Jeanette.

"Simon?" Jeanette's soft voice broke my rage at everything else. I never got angry with her, she was pure joy, and it spread, no matter her mood. The look on her face though, the fear, the sadness. One thing came to mind when I saw her face.

"Is your flower okay?" I spoke softly; she was on the verge of crying and that is something I would have trouble handling. Her exhaustion was probably the only thing keeping her from bursting into tears.

She nodded, "We can't do this, Simon. The workers keep showing up and crush our work." She took short, gasp-like breaths between each word. "There's just no way." She was defeated and I had nothing to say, no way to reassure her or even comfort her. She no longer thought we could save our special place. What was I thinking? I set Jeanette's hopes up only to be crushed; I wasn't good for her. It was my fault she was so sad now. Brittany would not be impressed.

_"Think!"_ I thought, _"Think for Jeanette!"_ We needed help, working was useless with our current numbers being defeated by workers who were getting paid to do this.

"Come on," I suggested, "we can at least make it harder for the workers." We split up in hopes of covering more ground. Dave and Alvin went with me, Theodore followed Jeanette. It wasn't long for the sun to start it's journey to set. Work wouldn't last long. "That's it!" I snapped. "Alvin!" I squeezed his shoulders tightly.

"Hey, watch it! What is it, Si?" He complained and swatted my hands away.

"When were you thinking of hosting Brittany's concert?" I was almost screaming in his face.

"I planned it for Wednesday." Perfect!

"Do you think we could have it here?" I asked, afraid he would say no. He was cruel when it came to pranks, but he would do this for his brother, right? This was the perfect way to raise awareness of how great The Gardens really were. It seemed like forever before he actually gave an answer, like I aged twenty years.

"Hmm, I guess we could do that, but you'll have to do any and all paperwork." Always a catch, even when his own brother needed him. Whatever, I was desperate.

"Okay, okay deal!" A plan set in motion, my last chance to do something that could save the only green land for miles on end. For the concert we could pull out all the stocks, anything we could do, we will do. It meant everything to not only me and Jeanette, but to Brittany and even Alvin too. Everything depended on something lately, and I seemed to be in the middle of it all. I depended on Alvin, Jeanette depended on me, and The Gardens depended on everyone.

"I think it's time to take you home, Fellas." Dave gave us a worried glare and I knew there was no arguing with him. "Where's Theodore and Jeanette?" I knew exactly where they'd be.

"Come with me," I said, "I'll show you the flower that started this revolution." A short walk for a well-worthy prize. The violet was worthy, but I was talking about getting to see Jeanette. She and the violet were both worthy and although she didn't quite solve the riddle on her birthday, she was still all I needed.

"So this is the flower you and Simon keep talking about?" Theodore's voice could barely be heard and the violet's whereabouts were only a few feet away. No weeds surrounded the flower and she took extra special care of her flower, I had a warm feeling in my gut.

"Mhm," I heard Jeanette say, "Simon gave it to me." Was it rude of me to be eavesdropping? I didn't have time to hear any more anyway, Dave would be seen once he caught up. "He's amazing." I blushed after hearing Jeanette compliment me. Did she really think about me that way or was this my imagination playing tricks on me? Dave and Alvin rustled through the glass, catching up to me and alerting Jeanette and Theodore.

"Dave, come see the flower!" Theodore exclaimed. I walked up next to Jeanette who looked at me ad granted a hug. She was the only warmth on this hot day. She still seemed upset, but her eyes were hard and in the reflection I saw the violet. I had the feeling she didn't want to give up, maybe she wasn't defeated. Maybe she was just down, but not out. She made me who I am. She was the reason I fought.

Jeanette's Point of View

The Gardens were a lost cause, nothing would convince the workers to leave the flowers alone. I wanted to tell Simon to stop trying, to give up. I had. Tonight I would cry myself to sleep. All of this was my fault. It was because of me that Simon was in bad health, that he was constantly exhausted. All for a flower. A simple flower that was given to me. Was that why I didn't stop him? To hold on to what he gave me?

"I think it's time you go to bed, Jeanette." Dave said and help me up to hug his chest. "I know you're upset, but not sleeping won't make it better."

_"Won't necessarily make it worse."_ I thought coldly and headed upstairs to be in the company of my sisters and the Chipmunks, already in their beds welcoming sleep into their lives by drifting off. Simon sat in his bed staring at the clock and noticed me walking in. He gave me a smile, but not the kind of smile I would have gotten before, not his cute and shy smile that made each day better and better with each second I got to see it. The smile he gave me now was weak and still. He looked straight into my eyes and I felt fire burning in my heart. After everything I couldn't just tell him to give up, breaking his heart like that would be terrible. I wanted to call him mine, to treasure and cherish him and the time we've spent alone at The Gardens, and being mean would just push him away. Neither of us ever made a move, asked the question, I had no clue if he even liked me that way; just because I kissed him didn't mean he wanted me to or liked it, no matter the smile on his face. What would he say if I kissed him again? Last time I used the excuse of being excited, but what if I put my all into another, passionate and real kiss, like in the kind I always read in novels? My, relationships are complicated, how did Brittany find out so much?

"Lights out." Dave insisted and rushed me to the triple bunk bed that held my sleeping sisters.

_"Up to the top I go."_ I thought; no energy to climb, I moved solely on adrenaline. I rolled over on the top bunk and a rustle. _"Hm? __What's__ this?" _I pulled out a sheet of paper from underneath my blanket. I was capable of telling that it was Simon's handwriting, especially after seeing it before. Neat, proper spelling and grammar, but only one sentence written on the full sheet: "We need to talk, meet me on the roof at eleven." I looked at the clock; ten-thirty.

I jumped at the sound of Dave and the flicker of the light as he turned it off. "Sorry for the late night, fellas." He yawned, "Goodnight." As soon as Dave left the doorway, Simon climbed down from his bed.

"Hey, where are you going?" Alvin asked accusingly.

"I'm thirsty." Simon shot him a look and backed out the doorway. I think I saw him wink at me, but it may have just been my imagination. Fifteen minutes before I got the opportunity to leave. Thankfully it didn't take the others long to fall into their slumber, but I was still cautious, pausing every time the floor creaked when I passed over it.

The window to the roof was left open; Simon awaited me outside. A shiver crawled up my spine as I stepped out the window, no wind, just the nervous feeling that something was going to happen; how would this go? No sight of him, he wouldn't ditch me like this. I suddenly got worried that something could have happened.

"Simon?" I called quietly just to make sure he was out here and safe.

"Over here." He answered. His voice lead me to the other side of the house and I found him, his eyes dark in the low light and he held a piece of paper.

"Umm," I pondered, looking for the right words, "What do you want to talk about?" His answer was simple.

"The Gardens." I expected as much; I had no idea if I could talk about it. Already I felt uncomfortable.

"Oh." I turned my back to him, flinching as I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and pull me in. Relaxing, I looked up to my holder to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I suddenly liked this talk a little. Simon kept me close, his heartbeat was slow.

"It's not the end." He said, "I figured out what we'll do, if you want." Confusing, although I was only half paying attention to what he was saying.

"Hm?" I blinked. I needed to stay focused, not easy at the moment. I was nearing sleep with his arms warming me more than any blanket ever has. His heart was now steady, following the beat of my own.

"I got Alvin to host Brittany's concert at The Gardens." Wow, what a wake-up call. Finally, a way to get everyone else in town to see what The Gardens really meant. The entire town would come see it, the concert would be the ultimate savior! "I want to perform that song with you there." Simon whispered and handed me the paper, "I think it would be perfect." I stared at the paper, the song, and read the words through my head, committing it to memory. "What do you think?" A great idea, my first duet with Simon at a special concert for Brittany and The Gardens. This was the perfect time.

_"Do it!"_ I thought, _"Kiss him and find out for sure. We're happy, we're alone, he's even holding me! Just do it!" _I looked him in the eyes and leaned in closer. My heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest and I could feel sweat coming down my face and roll down my burning cheeks. _"I can't!" _I backed away. "That sounds great." I breathed.

"Perfect!" He said and started back towards the window and stopped. "Oh, and please don't keep anything from me like what happened to The Gardens. You can trust me and tell me anything." with that he left me alone with my thoughts.

"Idiot!" I told myself. I sat and burried my head in my arms, waiting for Simon's to return around me. It wouldn't happen, not tonight. A noise echoed from the other side of the house, making me jump up and run for the window. The window was pushed, and recently too. "Eleanor?!" I gasped as she fell off the window ledge and onto the rug covering the hardwood floor.

"Ouch!" She expressed, "Heh hey, Jeanette! What are you doing up?"

"What are you doing spying on me?" What was she thinking? You can't just spy on someone when they're talking to the one they like while they're on the roof in the middle of the night!

"Oh, that?" She was trying to sound stupid, like she had no idea what I was talking about. She was just looking for a way out. No way was I going to let that happen. "I was wondering what you and Simon were doing…" Mental note: Learn to sneak out of our room better and unnoticed. "Did you kiss again?" She asked suddenly.

"No." I said hoping I didn't sound too disappointed. "Maybe that was for the best."

"Don't think like that. I think you two should be together." Eleanor was a little naïve when it came to romance, she knew she wanted it, but she probably wasn't so sure what exactly romance was. I got everything I knew from novels and the violet. And Brittany got her view and knowledge on romance from movies and, although I had no proof, probably experience.

"You really think so?" She nodded her reply. "But what if he doesn't like me back?"

"Trust me, he likes you." Brittany steeped out of our room from down the hall and smiled at us. "Take the chance, Jean." She was really good at reading my mind. I guess the worst that could happen is that he doesn't want a relationship, but I did. I've been fooling myself for a long time, but I knew, and my sisters knew, that I wanted nothing more than to be with him, to enjoy being with him, a time when things wouldn't be awkward and also be close. A time where if my sisters couldn't be there by my side, Simon would. I could only hope that he felt the same way and turn my fantasy into reality. No words left to say, my sisters and I linked arms and sneaked into our bedroom together. I fell asleep the minute my head touched the pillow.

_I was cold and empty, no pleasant scenery to look at and no happiness to fill me up. There was only one thing I knew right now; The Gardens were gone and it was because of me. I sat alone in the rubble and soaked it all in. _

_ "Is this a dream?" I whispered. It felt like a dream, a vivid dream. Dust and dirt blew up from __every turn. No signs of life. _

_ "Hmph, not for long!" A rough voice growled form behind me. At least, I think it was from behind me; it rang everywhere. I turned around, but saw no one, nothing but endless dirt and ruins of what used to be The Gardens, now a graveyard. Lost, consumed by the sight of __seeing dead plants no matter where I looked. I took a step and felt something crumble beneath my foot. I looked down and gasped in horror when I saw the violet, dead and going gray. I tried to pick it up, but it crumbled to pieces. A voice screamed in my ear._

_ "Your fault!" It was Simon's voice, but not his usual try-hard, happy and calm attitude. My head was now consumed with the loud rumble of a bulldozer. _

"Jeanette!" I jumped up and started crying instantly. Simon's warmth wrapped around me and I cried quietly in his chest.

"Everything is okay." He whispered softly with his calming attitude.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, Readers! I'm talking to you hear and now. I would like to start off with (since I didn't earlier) that I do not own the Chipmunks or the Chipettes (They belong to Bagdasarian Productions) and the respective songs mentioned belong to their respective domains (singers/songwriters). I only own the story. Happy reading and happy writing!**

Simon's Point of View

Jeanette's breakdown worried me, she never broke down like that and she didn't speak, she only sobbed. I could never take it when a girl cried, let alone Jeanette and although I only whispered the same sentence to her, I held her close. It took Dave to break us apart; we were stuck like glue and at first I held on to her for dear life.

"Simon?" Dave had said, "It's okay; you're both okay." His words were not convincing and not knowing if I'd comforted Jeanette or not, I sat by her during breakfast and worried even more when I saw that she wouldn't eat anything; she was never one to skip a meal, she knew how important breakfast was. Instead of eating, she just played with the cut up pieces of toaster waffles with her small fork. Had I given her the same flu that I had? I quickly panicked and shuffled away slightly only to be pulled back by her hand. I could feel her trembling, sensed her fear and there was nothing I could about it. I asked her multiple times what was wrong, but she just sat with her lip quivering.

I had to convince her to take a walk with me, saying it wouldn't be enjoyable otherwise, even if it was just out back. She obliged to my request, but without a smile or any sign of happiness. Her tail hung limp and her ears dropped down against her head.

The walk had no particular destination, Alvin had people setting up the stage at the edge of The Gardens and school had a long half-hour before starting. Dave had no problem with the walk as long as we were back soon so he could drive us to school.

"Would you like to rehearse?" I asked after having no success of getting her to talk. I stared at her, eye to eye, whatever she felt right now, it wasn't eagerness.

"No," She spoke softly, like she would get in trouble otherwise, "if I sing a duet with you, it's going to be in a concert." That meant I had to wait until tomorrow; the agonizing wait was killing me. Though disappointed, I still smiled. Jeanette spoke for the first time today and my day was made.

"I missed hearing your voice this morning." I said, making her smirk lightly.

"Simon, it was just a bad dream. No reason to be concerned." The truth was, I'd passed concerned a long time ago, she was upset and that broke my heart, shattered my thoughts; instincts had to take over and that was the only time I started to act like we were in a relationship. I had no right to do that, to come out of my shell only when she was hurt or sad. Our relationship was only a dream, our kiss probably an accident and our hugs were only to comfort each other; she was affectionate, but she often stuck to her thoughts, leaving me in the dark. Of course, there was always that little part of me that thought and hoped that she liked me and actually wanted to kiss me. No matter what, I wouldn't stop looking out for her. She was still, in my head, mine. Have I dreamed about her? Yes, she appeared to me often, but it wasn't real though, and real Jeanette meant everything more to me than dream Jeanette. I was not at all reassured.

The bell for lunch rang and rather than eating for the hour given, I decided to visit The Gardens and see how the stage was looking. Luckily West Eastman was close, only a block away; I would surely make it back before the bell.

"You going to The Gardens?" Alvin questioned me as I stepped outside.

"Where else?" I answered back.

"Hmph, okay, but be careful, the stage might have some pieces flying around." Alvin winked at me with an evil grin. I hated when he played these kinds of jokes.

I immediately hopped as fast as my legs and paws would take me, too tired to worry about what further damage had been done and taking Alvin's joke to heart. I wish I'd given it more thought. What I first saw was horrifying; the fifteen acre land that was once blooming with flowers was now swarmed by weeds. Fallen leaves from the dying trees fed the plants on the ground and death waited for the remaining flowers.

I completely forgot about the stage and dashed for the lone violet, praying it was still alive. Weeds grew fast and killed faster, I didn't like the violets odds.

The rare flower was found surrounded by a patch of weeds, alive, but surely in need of rescue. What else was I supposed to do other than disobey Dave and save it? I was told to rest, but the flower was more important; I broke my promise to Dave out of my own consciousness. After picking the weeds around the violet and even singing to it, my head broke out into a burst of dizziness.

"_I am not sick." _I screamed in my head, _"I will not succumb to a simple sickness."_

Looking around, I didn't know what to think. The memory of the beautiful time I had with the beautiful Jeanette at this beautiful place not too long ago was beginning to fade, as did my hope that this plan would work. My, how things change so quickly. Everything so beautiful was dying and the effect it was having on Jeanette made The Gardens current state only a small part of what occupied my mind. I glared up at the large stage that Alvin's people were setting up at the edge of The Gardens. Where Alvin found people to tolerate working for him I'll never know, but I guess anyone would want to work for a celebrity.

The stage was pretty much set up; huge steel columns held up the bright lights, a red curtain separated the performing area with the back room, and the performing platform was two feet off the ground, the platform I would perform my first duet with Jeanette.

"This is going to work." I whispered to myself.

I rushed back to school minutes before the bell that would signal the ending of lunch. The cafeteria was nearly empty, save for a few students sitting at the closest table to the exit. I noticed Jeanette sitting at the back table alone with paper that I assumed had the song we were to perform on it.

"_Be cool, Simon."_ I thought, _"Talk to her, small talk first, then move on to serious."_ When I thought serious, I knew that meant The Gardens and her bad dream. I couldn't believe I still had trouble talking to her, but I could see her smile from all the way across the room as she saw me, and that always made me giddy; or nauseous, whatever the feeling was, I liked it. "Hi, Jeanette." I said calmly. She smiled when I walked up to her. She crossed her arms shyly, the sign of insecurity. I hoped that one day soon she wouldn't do that when I was nearby. I wanted her and I wanted to feel that she wanted me. I had the urge to greet her with a hug, but it passed as she spoke.

"Hi, Simon." Her smile made me rethink why I was talking to her, why I would bring up a serious and sad topic rather than enjoy the conversation we could have. Today, we could talk comfortably to each other, no sorrow in our voices, no danger in our thoughts. I secretly hoped that I wouldn't start stuttering again, I wanted to talk with her. I wanted to cherish this rare moment.

"Why are you here alone?" I asked and looked around for her sisters who usually sat and ate with her.

"Brittany ran off with Alvin," Jeanette giggled, "and Eleanor has cooking club." That left us alone. A minute of awkward silence passed before she said anything else, "I can't wait to perform."

"Me either," I agreed, "It'll be really fun."

"And special." I heard her whisper.

"Special?"

She nodded, "We're saving the violet."

"Your violet." I corrected.

"My violet…" Her eyes lowered to the ground, "A really special concert for my sister and my violet." She took my hand shakily and my cheeks flushed. "And I get to perform with you." I smiled brightly, but I was also confused. Was she flirting with me or was I just imagining it? Either way, I took the chance to flirt back out of the confidence she gave me.

"You're what makes the concert special for Brittany, the violet… and me." Her face lit up and her soft, bushy tail curled back and forth. I couldn't tell whether the sweat in our joined palms was from her or me, but I really didn't care. "I'm scared and happy to sing with you, Jeanette; scared that my voice will crack, knowing how amazing you'll be." Her hand burned and her cheeks puffed in a huge smile.

"Aah… You're making me blush…" She purred quietly. This was the first time she admit to being embarrassed at something I said. Hopefully I wasn't taking things too far. The bell rang before I could say anymore so instead of saying more, I walked her to class, unsure as to whether we were still only friends.

"Okay, guys, I hope you're ready for tomorrow." Dave said on the ride home, "I STILL can't believe that ALVIN organized this whole concert!"

"You know, that hurts, Dave." Alvin frowned, forcing a giggle from Brittany.

"I'm really proud of you, Alvin. You did all this fro Brittany and The Gardens; you're really acting mature."

"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm awesome." Alvin boasted, "Just don't hug me." He crossed his arms and smirked at me, rolling his eyes towards Jeanette. I shook my own head and he gave me a questionable look.

"So what's the plan, Alvin?" Dave asked, "Who's singing what?" Alvin took in a long, deep breath.

"Me, Simon and Theodore open with "We're The Chipmunks," then Jean and El perform "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae, next I'll go up and sing my song and after that, we'll all sing "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, Theodore wants to sing "Fireflies" by Owl City and finally Simon and Jeanette will sing their song." Alvin was panting as if he'd run a marathon, gasping for air.

"Well, alright then," Dave replied simply, looking surprised through the mirror, "good luck, Fellas."

Jeanette's Point of View

The rest of the afternoon Dave wanted us to rehearse the songs we were going to perform. Eventually after hours of rehearsal with Eleanor and the Chipmunks we decided to relax the rest of the night; everyone other than Theodore, who continued to hum "Fireflies" as we all sat lazily in the living room.

"That was so much fun!" Eleanor chanted, "It's nice to rehearse again, la la laaa!" I laughed as my baby sister held the note before losing breath. She had a strong voice, but whenever she, Brittany and I performed, Brittany often took the lead role, however for Brittany's concert we decided to share the lead vocals in the song we were singing, the song that remained to this date to be one of Brittany's favorites and the minute Alvin announced the concert I knew that this was the song we would perform.

Theodore fell asleep next to Eleanor, making me a little jealous. Although they weren't in a relationship, they were still so comfortable around each other; something me and Simon weren't. Alvin was playing video games with Brittany, who looked bored out of her mind and Simon yawned as he was forced to watch.

"_Guess now's as good a time as ever."_ I thought and scooted closer to Simon, my hand next to his. Brittany noticed me do this and quickly took interest in my attempted flirt.

"Aww, look at you two!" She teased and shoved Alvin, who pretended not to care about the game enough to look over and smirk at Simon, who looked lost. He quickly caught on and blushed at Brittany's comment. I shot her a look saying "Stop!" but she ignored it; I had second thoughts about what she knew about relationships. "Kiss!" Alvin paused his game and took real interest when he heard this, joining my sister's chant.

"Alvin…" Simon grumbled, "I am going to kill you."

"What's wrong, Si?" Alvin grinned, "Afraid to kiss your girlfriend?" Simon opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off from Brittany.

"They already have!" she told Alvin, "They just only kiss in privacy." Alvin whistled towards Simon who turned beet red out of anger. How could Brittany, my own sister blurt everything like this?! If I ever got my hands on her…

"Way to go, Si!" Alvin hopped on the couch and slapped Simon on the shoulder playfully. "Finally getting some action!" I knew Simon would burst any moment. Our siblings were getting this all wrong and both Simon and I knew this. "When did you make your move, huh?" Alvin pestered his older brother, ignoring the grumbles from him. That pushed Simon over the edge; he pushed Alvin as hard as he could. I watched a fight break out as the two brothers shoved and eventually tackled each other into the chords of the gaming system.

"Great." I muttered. The brothers didn't fight often, but this certainly wouldn't be the first time they attacked one another. I turned my attention to Brittany, knowing that once they started, I wouldn't be able to stop them, "Why did you tell him everything?" I scolded.

"I was helping you make your move!" She smiled.

"I didn't need your help! Stop meddling in my business."

"Why, you love him, don't you?" My heart sank, I didn't know if I loved Simon or not, no matter how much thinking, I wouldn't know… Ever.

"I do not!" I answered.

"Well you like him!"

"No!" I screamed without thinking and shut my mouth immediately. _"Idiot!"_ Brittany looked tacken aback and I saw Simon's ears prick up then lower before Alvin tackled him off the TV holder. They hung, tied up in the chords and unable to move.

"Oh, great." Alvin exasperated, "A little help?" He looked at Theodore and Eleanor who woke up during the fighting and failed at being the peacemakers. Simon continued to shoot each other looks as they slowly got untied; both fell as the last chord was loosened and both tried to go at it again.

"Hey, Fellas, stop it!" Dave boomed from behind me, "Go to your room and get to sleep." Everyone started, their heads lowered, ashamed of what happened and I fell behind and hoped Simon would look back, acknowledge me, anything! Brittany slowed down and walked beside me.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Why couldn't you just leave it?" I whimpered, "I was doing fine on my own."

"I thought I knew how I to speed things up for you two." I wasn't sure if I should say anything, she made me lie out loud just to get her to stop bothering me about my romance.

"_It's not all her fault." _I thought, _I should have handled this better; think before you speak, isn't that what they teach you in school?"_ It took me a minute before responding, but her sad, blue eyes said she was truly sorry. "It's okay." I whispered and she pulled me into a side hug.

"I shouldn't try to control your relationships," She said, "I know you really like him and he really likes you. I should let you take it's course."She looked at Simon who was on Theodore's left side, apart from Alvin.

"Mind telling him that?" I joked, but couldn't even force a smile.

"I think he knows." Brittany replied. As much as I wanted to be with Simon, I knew that I blew it tonight.

"I can kiss my hope of any relationship with him goodbye after tonight." I said sadly, my thoughts and emotions were pouring out now and I couldn't stop them, "I wish I could tell him everything, all I want is for him to care and to know I care." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, "He's so… great and I do nothing but weep and cry and… and…"

"Hey, don't say that!" Brittany pulled me into a tighter hug and looked me in the eyes, "You are beautiful and the smartest person I know. You'll get him, I'm telling you, he can't pass the chance to go out with you."

"I think I really hurt him…" Brittany seemed to have the answer to every problem I brought up.

"Well, tomorrow you're performing a duet with him; that's the perfect time to sing your heart out. That's your time to be with him and to show him you care!"

"You really think he'd forgive me just because we're singing together?" I asked. Brittany nodded.

"He's wanted to sing with you for a long time; he'll forget all about tonight the moment the music starts playing." Brittany sounded so sure, so confident that things would turn around.

"I hope you're right." I said, dreading what would happen if he didn't.

_The loud rumble of a bulldozer shattered my eardrums and I could see Simon sitting in the graveyard of flowers glaring at me. _

_ "I did everything I could." He said coldly, "This is because of you. More than The Gardens died tonight." He held up the dead violet as it evaporated into dust; he turned to leave the ruins of The Gardens. _

"_Please don't leave!" I called after him; he didn't stop, he continued to move away as if he never heard me which, with the bulldozer, wasn't a surprise. _

"_Your concert failed!" A rough voice screeched drowning out the rumble. "It didn't end with a bang or a lasting cheer! You failed and it cost you everything!" _

I woke, gasping for air and something real to grab onto. Another dream, another nightmare.

"Are you okay, Jeanette?" Simon asked from across the room. No light shone through the small window, it was still either really late or early morning.

"Oh, um, yeah…" I was scared to say anything to him, fear of his reaction, "I'm sorry." That was all I could manage. Understanding what I was talking about, he replied in a soft voice.

"It hurt," He admitted, "It made me wonder what our friendship means to you." Was he accepting my apology or not?

"_Please tell me,"_ I begged to myself, _"I want to make things right."_ Every second he stalled pained me ever more.

"But I knew you were mad at Brittany; we say things we sometimes don't mean when we're mad, I'm the same way with Alvin. A weight was lifted off my shoulders and I made a powerful jump across the room over to Simon's bed. He helped me up as I slipped off the edge and I threw my arms around him and he replied by doing the same. This chipmunk that held me in his arms; he still gave me his warmth, he still cared.

There was already a crowd waiting for the performance as we pulled up to The Gardens, which was being admired by many who looked over and noticed them for probably the first time in their lives. The stage was set and kids were lifted by parents to get a better view. Even though it was broad daylight the lights shone on the stage, waiting to be filled by the Chipmunks and me and Eleanor.

"Wow." I whispered as the stage glowered over me and the crowds cheers and clapping rang through my ears… But over everything I still heard the feint rumble of the bulldozer from my dream as it stuck inside my ears.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hello fellow readers and writers, I apologize if this chapter seems significantly shorter than the rest, but from now on, the chapters will carry only one point of view, Enjoy! Feel free to Review, I enjoy "hearing" what you have to say. Once again, I do not own the Chipmunks or Chipettes, or any of these songs, the credit goes to their respective domains. I own the story. **

Simon's Point of View

"Finally," I thought to myself as I rushed my black jacket on over my blue t-shirt, "The concert." Our plan to save The Gardens and Alvin's birthday present to Brittany, it was finally here. I thought I'd feel happier, more enthusiastic; our chance to make a difference was right in front of us, but instead I had mixed feelings. I was caught between Jeanette's words of last night and the words Jeanette would say, rather sing, today. Was I hurt by what she said? I'd be lying if I said no; but she was angry, and that meant something in her defense. I knew Brittany could irritate her at times, plus I could never ever stay mad at her, or hold a grudge against anyone other than Alvin.

"Aren't you excited, Simon?" Jeanette exclaimed. The joy in her voice is what made me forget. Her happiness was all that mattered, and I would do anything to ensure that she stayed that way. I smiled at Jeanette for the first time today, settling my nerves slightly. "Let's give that crowd something to cheer for!" She jumped up and down with excitement in her squeals… Or nervousness, without waiting for to actually answer. I had the urge to hold her again, a quick need to feel her warm fur, her warm breath, her happy heartbeat. It was a couple thought, something too romantic for what Alvin called the "Friendship Stage." He thought he'd make up our fighting by giving me girl advice; I didn't want it, but I accepted his attempt of an apology. Before I got the chance to wrap my arm around her slender, jumpy figure, Alvin broke in and interrupted my thoughts.

"Come on, Si, we're up! Can't have them waiting for my awesomeness!"

"I sighed, "Let's get this started."

The lights showered me and my brothers, the crowd was wild and certainly ready for us to begin. The sound of the music for "We're The Chipmunks" filled my ears and lifted my spirit, along with any doubts. Oh, to sing again! The feeling of performing again in front of a crowd, and for a great cause; unbelievable! Brothers and I caught the cue from the music and began to sing.

"_Do, do, do do do do do_

_Watch out  
'Cause here we come_

_It's__ been a while, but  
__We're__ back with style, so  
Get set  
to have some fun  
__We'll__ bring you action  
and satisfaction_

_We're__ the Chipmunks  
C-H-I-P-M-U-N-K  
__We're__ the Chipmunks  
Guaranteed to brighten your day"_

"_What a rush!"_ I though as Alvin lead the next verse.

The ending soon came and in unison, we chanted, _"Do, do, do do do do do!" _

"Thank you." Theodore said and waved to the crowd, all of which cheered from our performance.

"We," Alvin spoke into the mini microphone headset against his head, "would like to dedicate this concert to the lovely Brittany." Alvin gestured to the Chipette, who sat on stage and watched; she looked to be almost crying. Her smile was directed to Alvin, but she showed plenty of gratitude to Theodore and I.

"And," I quickly added, "these wonderful Gardens!"Everyone "oohed" and "ahhed" as they looked at their surroundings, admiring what was left of The Gardens. "We'd like to thank you all for coming." I continued, "This means a lot!" I looked through the clapping crowd, nearly begging for the next song.

"Please give a warm welcome to Jeanette and Eleanor!" Theodore chimed and we stepped aside for the sisters to begin.

"_Three little birds, sat on my window,"_ The Chipettes snapped and turned to Brittany between a spin and winked, _"And they told me I don't need to worry." _Jeanette's voice stuck out like a rainbow in a storm. I looked over to Brittany who smiled and wiped her eyes at her sisters' performance. Their voices mixed was a work of art. My ears found Jeanette's individual sound and butterflies crept up in my stomach as I realized I would be performing with her in little more than ten minutes. I noticed Brittany mouth the words, following Jeanette's and Eleanor's movements with her eyes. Her happy ice blue eyes. I hoped to see Jeanette's eyes that happy soon enough.

"_Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song  
You go ahead, let your hair down  
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,  
Just go ahead, let your hair down._

Oh, _you're__ gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow."_

The crowd roared with clapping and whistling as the performing Chipettes were grabbed from behind by Brittany and pulled into a hug. Me, Alvin and Theodore joined in the clapping; The Chipettes always got along, always acted like true sisters to each other. Everyone should be able to see that.

"This is turning out better than I thought." I whispered away from the headset attached to my head.

"While we get ready for our next performance," Alvin called out to the crowd, "my brother, Simon, has something he would like to say."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what?" I stammered as Alvin pushed me to the front of the stage and ran to the back room to ready himself. "Umm, hi." I waved to no particular person nervously. What was Alvin thinking? I had no plans for this! Was there anything I wanted to talk about? Jeanette? No… The Gardens. "Who here thinks this is a beautiful place?" I asked, hearing mumbles of disapproval. "I see your point; this used to be a paradise, a wonderful place where the flowers grew and weren't dying by weeds. This place was taken care of." I found the elderly greenhouse lady in the crowd with a toothy smile on her face. "But now, this place is abandoned and left to fend for itself." I knew this was going somewhere, I just had no idea where I would go from here. "And now, in only a few days and if we don't do something big to save this place, it will be torn down and replaced with a restaurant that I'm sure most of you wouldn't even visit." More mumbles. "We can change this." I trailed off, my speech was over, my head empty, "Thank you." I stepped back for the next song to begin, an individual clapped from the crowd. I turned and saw the greenhouse lady, clapping as hard as her frail hands would let her. I smiled meekly as I was joined by my brothers and the two Chipettes for the song to begin. I stole a glance at Jeanette who was looking straight at me with a serious smile written across her face as the music played.

"_Everyday I'm shuffling!"_ Everyone's voice boomed throughout the stage as "Party Rock Anthem" ended. I found myself standing next to Jeanette in the back room, our microphones to the side.

"I'm so nervous," Jeanette clung to my arm, "I don't know how I made it through my duet with Eleanor."

"I'm nervous too," I admitted, "And you were fantastic." The butterflies in my stomach multiplied as Jeanette clung tighter, making me lose feeling in my arm. She was stronger than she looked, twice as smart, but also twice as shy. She smiled and looked onto the stage. I squinted through my glasses and found Alvin… Serenading Brittany?! She stood by his side as he held her hand and stared into her eyes. The crowd was enjoying it, giving loud whistles as complements to Alvin's soft singing. Brittany's face was as red as Alvin's sweater, and I couldn't help but smile with Jeanette as our siblings flirted.

Alvin finished with his song and began his way to the back, but before anything happened, Brittany had him in a loving hug. Was that a peck on the cheek, or was my imagination playing tricks on me? Before I knew it, Theodore was quickly up and eagerly began "Fireflies." His high voice was soothing, it relaxed me as Jeanette and I prepared for our own performance.

My ears suddenly perked up, "Did you hear something?" I asked.

"I think you have the jitters." Jeanette giggled nervously, "I have them too."

"Heh, yeah, you're probably right." I shook off the feeling and took hold of Jeanette's hand as we waited patiently for Theodore to end.

"_Because my dreams are bursting at the seams."_ Theodore sang the final part of "Fireflies" and walked off the stage, but not before getting a hug from Brittany. "Knock 'em dead." He said to us as Jeanette and I slowly made our to the stage, the crowd roaring for another song. The music began even before we reached the front; there was no dance number for this song, we were to simply sing it together.

"_Here we go,"_ I thought and without letting go of Jeanette's hand, I looked into her eyes a little like what Alvin did earlier. I nervously opened my mouth as words flowed out.

"_They say the beat of a butterflies wings_

_can set off a storm a world away." _

My nervousness melted away as Jeanette took her turn.

"_What if they're right and the smallest of things_

_can power the strongest hurricane."_

Her voice was so beautiful, so dreamy that I almost forgot to take my turn.

"_What if it all begins inside."_

"_We hold the key that turns the tide."_ Jeanette chimed in. The chorus came and we moved closer together, neither of us realizing it until we touched. The crowds roars from before evaporated into silence as they listened to our melody and music.

"_Just a pebble in the water," _We sang together, and at that time, that precise moment, I felt a spark, a connection between me and Jeanette as more than just friends.

"_Ooh,"_ Jeanette took over, _"Can set the sea in motion." _I heard my cue to join in and once again harmonized with the beautiful chipette.

"_A simple act of kindness," _My turn now.

"_Can stir the widest ocean."_ The butterflies that were once in my stomach disappeared as Jeanette joined in for the last part of the chorus.

"_If we show a little love_

_Heaven knows what we could change…_

_Make a wave! Make a wave!" _The happiness, the sheer joy in Jeanette's eyes radiated. Her smile like my own that I could see in the shiny reflection of her glimmering eyes. I took her other small, soft hand and spun her in a little twirl. While we spun together I could have noticed Brittany's smiling at us, or Alvin's face from behind the curtain, but all I could see was Jeanette, she was all I wanted to see.

I set her down and her tail wrapped up in mine, making me blush, and the song continued until it was nearly over.

"_So let's show a little love,"_ Jeanette sang, _"You never know what we can change."_

I took over. _  
"So throw a pebble in the water,"_ My wonderful Jeanette joined in one last time.

"_Make a wave,_

_Make a wave…" _

The music faded.

BEEP BEEP BEEP! "Everyone clear out, now!" A loud rumble broke the stunned silence from only seconds ago, the loud rumble of a bulldozer.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello Readers and Writers, I must apologize for the looooong delay, I've been really sick (not just your common cold) and it turns out that rather than writing, you need to rest when you're sick. Enjoy this chapter!**

Jeanette's Point of View

At first I had no clue what was going on; one minute I was singing with Simon, a duet for the very first time (one that was going so perfectly) and the next I was being pushed towards the road, apart from Simon with the rest of the crowd as construction workers set up little fences at the edge. Beyond the noise of the bulldozer, I could hear the immediate destruction of the stage, I heard the crumble of the dry soil as the large vehicle reached the fifteen acres that would soon be it's next meal. I could hear the crowd panicking, scared of the quick change. I began to smell exhaust fuel. The bulldozer was ready.

"Jeanette!" Simon called and welcomed me in an embrace. We reunited with our family who was trying to calm some of the more frantic crowd members, telling them to go home and stay safe. "Jeanette, we have to do something." He sounded desperate, and the sheer desperation was enough to wrench my heart from it's position, it's once calm position. What could I do? Tell him that everything was going to be okay? That we'd have another chance? No, this was our last chance and it was blown by the disruption of workers along with my singing fun with Simon.

"What can we do?" I whispered. Despite all the noise he somehow heard me. His eyes lowered, but his ears perked. Sometimes perked ears meant a particular noise was heard, at other times it meant happiness; with Simon, perked ears meant an idea. He always seemed to have an idea.

"One last stand," He said, "We fight and we give it our all for this place." I hadn't considered this, I always wanted to solve problems in a more civil manner, never to fight. Reading my mind, Simon spoke, "There's no other way we'll get our message across." This was our final option, our cards were on the table but it all depended on what the dealer played. I couldn't say anything, I wasn't strong enough to. With a nod I followed him, past Dave, who was going psycho on helping everyone at once, past the tape and fences and past the bigger population of workers, straight towards the bulldozer.

"_This is crazy," _I thought, _"We can't take down an almost twenty-thousand pound bulldozer!" _We were to light-weight chipmunks that could barely lift a coconut with both arms. This was going to be hard and that was IF we figured out what we were doing. We had no plan, we were just desperate.

After making it about half-way across The Gardens to where the bulldozer was ready to start, four workers stood in front of us, aware that we were up to something.

"Where you little fellers think yer goin'?" A worker dressed in an orange jacket and yellow hard hat teased through his patchy beard.

"Oh, um, you know, just over to…" Simon stopped mid-sentence and, quicker than I've ever seen him, he jumped up onto the patchy beardo and clawed at his face. I fell backwards, shocked at how rough and forceful Simon could be; I then smirked with a glimmer of hope and without remorse I jumped up on another, clean shaven, worker, bit his nose, and hopped shoulder to shoulder as he tried to grab me.

"Aah, get it, Lou!" The worker screamed as I nipped the side of his neck. I was swiftly ripped from the workers shoulder by my tail and thrown forcefully. Before I could close my eyes to embrace the upcoming pain it was already here. Hitting the ground, I gasped for breath with the wind knocked out of me. My head spun and echoed Simon's voice.

"Don't touch my flower!" Through my blurred vision I saw Simon bite down on the strong worker with a good throwing arm's hand, spurting blood.

"_My flower…"_ Is that what he said? Did he mean me? Am I a flower to him? "S-Simon?" I whispered knowing full well that he couldn't hear me. It was cold on the ground, but I was too weak to move, little air flowed through my lungs. Throughout this… this… war, I've wanted nothing more than to cuddle up to Simon, hug him, kiss him. That was heaven, a paradise compared to my current position, and he was so passionate in everything he did, was it like that with a real kiss?

"Ack! Hey, lemme go!" The worker with the bloody hand now had Simon by the tail; he helplessly swung his fists and chomped his teeth. He seemed a little pathetic just hanging there, I needed to help. As I staggered to my feet, I noticed Simon's brothers and my sisters approach the four workers from behind.

"Any last words, you stupid squirrel?" The worker threatened.

"That's Chipmunk!" Me and each member of my family screamed and jumped the workers, biting and clawing anything within reach. High-pitched screaming rang above the buzzing and beeping bulldozer, the screams of the workers. I bit Simon free and like a mother I checked him for wounds and he did the same with me.

"Are you okay?" We asked each other simultaneously. We both nodded but were breathless yet again as we were swooped up by our tails by Beardo. His patchy face blocked my vision of everything else.

"Ugh, again with the tail?!" Simon complained through panted breath. Everything seemed to slow down like the tempo of a song right after the chorus.

"Enough, ya foolish whatevers!" Beardo bellowed, "This'll be good, never had squirrel before."

"Chipmunk." Simon corrected, a little drowsily from hanging upside-down.

"Put them down." Eleanor begged angrily. By now the workers had everyone except me and Simon in a bunch on the ground. Brittany had to hold Eleanor back… I think it was Brittany. I was starting to lose my sense of sight, gaining tunnel vision as my boiling blood rushed to my head. The noise of the bulldozer was beginning to fade when something happened. We fell. Simon and I found the ground quickly and were dragged to the side by our siblings.

"W-What's going on?" I stuttered harshly and regained most of my sight back.

"Take a look." Alvin said, looking very amused. I turned to where everyone was looking to see Beardo cowering at Dave's feet.

"S-S-Sorry fer worryin' ya, sir." He bawled, "Won't happen again, they're fine by me." He ran off holding his eye with his fellow workers without looking back once. I saw Brittany stick out her tongue and flip her hair.

"Well, well, David." Alvin mused.

"Not now, Alvin." Dave said, his eyebrows furrowed, making him look scarier than the workers, "Are you kids crazy? Get to the car right now!"

"But Dave-" I tried to argue, but was interrupted forthwith.

"No buts! You're going to get hurt out here, we're going home and I don't want to hear another word about it!" No, I wasn't done fighting, I wasn't going to let a worried parent ruin my last chance of saving what was left of The Gardens. I looked around and let the new setting trap itself within my mind; they smokey sky, four acres of deserted rubble courtesy of the moving bulldozer, the stench of sweat, smoke, and dirt filled my nostrils. I wasn't about to let the rest of this once amazing place die. I had a clear view of the violet, slightly hung over from the smog and moving ground and dead in the path of the dozer.

"No, Dave." I yelled loud enough for him to hear me.

"Jeanette, it's not up for debate; your safety is what matters most." I turned to Simon for support and he gave me an unsettling look; he was done. After we'd gotten so far he was about to give up?! I turned numb, how could he give up just like that?

"Simon…?" I muttered.

"Your safety is what I care about." He whispered to me, "Go with Dave." I wanted to protest, to argue and turn and run further, fight until I dropped, but instead I took tiny steps without argument right behind Dave like everyone else. Me, Brittany, Eleanor, Alvin, and Theodore. It took me minutes to realize Simon wasn't even following us!

"Where's Simon?" I asked; close to breaking down, I looked frantically every direction for him. My sisters started looking, making a chain reaction for the Chipmunks.

"There he is!" said Brittany after what felt like hours. I hoped Dave didn't hear her, she wasn't the most careful.

"Where?" I panicked and shook her by her shoulders. She pointed in the direction from which we came. I squinted and there he stood, clear as day, the only one in front of the bulldozer waiting for it to reach him. I didn't think, couldn't think. I reacted completely on impulse, _"Get to that brave and stubborn chipmunk!" _Dashing away from Dave and pushing past my sisters, I rushed to Simon and tackled him to the ground. "Are you crazy!" I scolded and cried in his chest.

"Jeanette, you shouldn't be here." He replied, "It isn't safe."

"Exactly why you shouldn't be here!" I retorted.

"I have to save our special place."

"It isn't worth losing you…" We both sat up and looked the other in the eyes. Simon's eyes were as hard and as fragile as glass. I could see my own eyes in his, violet mixed in with his blue. It was a pretty color. Nothing I've ever seen before. "You're not doing this alone." I stated.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't." I didn't sound very convincing, not to me and certainly not to Simon. The dozer was getting ever and feigned no interest in stopping, but neither did Simon and neither did I. "I'm not leaving you, I never have and I never will." We stood side by side, and I was having no luck in convincing him. He cared about me, he was doing everything he could for me and all I really wanted was to be with him, remain by his side. He cared about me and the place that I love. _"Maybe he does like me."_ I thought, _"Maybe he's doing all this to show it."_

I wrapped my arms around Simon's neck and moved in closer.

"I may not get another chance." I whispered to him and pressed our lips and bodies together. This kiss wasn't like our first. This one was real; not because it was lasting longer than the last (much longer) but because it felt real. It had real passion, real love, and real meaning. This could be the last thing I do and I was proud of it. I had courage and I kissed (still kissing) Simon Seville! I felt his heart beat against my chest and my own heart beat against his.

I lifted my lips slowly, took Simon's hand, and smiled weakly. "Did I just do that…?" I whispered quietly. In his eyes, at first I saw confusion though he didn't pull away from the kiss, then he smiled and his eyes shone through the oncoming exhaust smoke. We linked hands tightly in an unbreakable grasp. I never thought that waiting to go on a suicide mission to stop a bulldozer would be one of the best moments of my life.

The mould blade approached our close bodies and together we jumped.

**Hope you enjoyed, sorry if it sucked, I suck at action scenes! Tell me what you thought, more to come very soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

Simon's Point of View

"_I may not get another chance."_ Jeanette was right; it was true that what we were doing wasn't exactly what you'd call safe, but I promised myself that I would let no harm come to Jeanette. Although I could only do so much, she had every reason to think there wouldn't be another chance for us to be together.

It took me a while to realize what she had done; even as we jumped onto the mould blade of the bulldozer I was having trouble processing that Jeanette kissed me. This time it wasn't just a peck on the lips either, it wasn't a friendly kiss, it was a full kiss that had me melting and wanting more even as a seventeen ton bulldozer was hurtling itself towards us. Based off the kiss, I think it was established that if we lived through this, we would start a relationship; I hoped it was established anyway. She proved to me that she wanted something more than a friendship, she knew I did too. I quickly glanced at her before we jumped and wished I could hold her, talk to her, there was never much time for talking.

The bulldozer itself wasn't exactly fast, but the blade constantly moved and drove dirt and dead flowers at us like an obstacle course, it didn't matter how fast the dozer moved. On the blade's slant, it was nearly impossible to move. Jeanette and I tumbled across the blade and within the first few seconds of being on it, I was exhausted. Our hands remained linked and no matter how hard we tried to regain our balance, we just fell through the dirt. At first, the dirt just buried our feet, but it was quickly rising, climbing higher against our bodies. We had to get to the top!

"Jeanette!" I yelled, hoping that she could hear me (I could barely hear myself think!). The chipette looked at me, indicating I had her attention. Dirt streaked across her face and clothes. "Climb up the dirt and see if you can make it to the top; I'll swat away anything that might hit you!"She nodded and reluctantly let go of my hand and began to climb. I turned around to begin my defense and was instantly swarmed by pebbles and dirt and dead flowers. It didn't take long for me to be overcome and beaten by the debris.

Through all the blinking I had to, the dirt and all of the debris, I noticed something out of place; a dark chocolate brown swung across my face, offering me an escape. I instinctively reached for it with whatever strength I had left and was pulled upwards to freedom. I felt the weight of the debris trail off me and felt relieved. Jeanette clung to the opposite end of the mould blade with her free hand for dear life as she tried to pull me up.

"Are you okay?" She panted as I made my way up. Like Dave would before a concert, she brushed off my sweater, rattled with dirt (I lost my jacket somewhere along the way.) and then she hugged me tight. Truthfully, I was sore and pained by being battered with rocks and dry soil. I had a migraine that would probably turn out to be a concussion if I lived. I felt like I could pass out any moment, but I couldn't tell her any of this. I had to keep strong and keep her confident.

"I am if you are." I stated, concerned she may have gotten hurt herself. If I was the cause of her injury, all due to my stubbornness, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. She smiled and took my hand again. Any worry I had melted for just that instant, but was brought back by what Jeanette worried about next.

"That's a big jump…" She shivered.

"I think we can make it." I said, trying to calm her down. The jump was at least three feet long and four feet high, it led to the engine hood, our destination; if we could get to the engine, we could stop the bulldozer. Tear the engine apart and the dozer wouldn't stand a chance. "Ready?" I asked. She nodded but had a look on her face that told me she would never be ready to make a jump like that. "One…" I began and felt Jeanette tense up and tighten her grip on my hand, "Two…" She started breathing faster and faster as the time approached, "Three!" We jumped together as powerful as our little legs could handle and still that was barely enough to make it. Our legs hung and it was all we could do to not slip and plummet to our deaths. I let her use my back and hood as a base to climb up and was gladly pulled up. She was amazingly strong for an exhausted chipette. It was strangely alluring.

"Let's talk to the driver," Jeanette suggested, "see if we can get him to stop." I agreed, it would be safer and certainly easier than taking apart an engine; I nodded to Jeanette and we ran. The smoke was the worst part about being on the hood and I knew there was no chance of getting any clean breaths of fresh air. We were right next to the exhaust pipe and the metal around it burned my feet.

"_That must be where the engine is."_ I made a mental note of that and continued on, "_This better work."_ We hopped on the front window to alert the driver.

"Ah!" He screamed, "What the? Get off you stupid animals!"

"Please sir, you need to stop the vehicle!" Jeanette begged and poked her head through the side opening.

"It talks?" The driver said with a questioning look, "I've been out here far too long."

"So stop and take a break." Jeanette chimed. I saw what she was trying to do; such a clever girl. I prayed we would live so I could at least get the chance to be with her.

"Sorry, uh, Missy, I gotta finish my job."

"It's no use," I whispered into Jeanette's ear knowing that the driver could not be hoaxed, "Let's just go to-" THUMP! The bulldozer hit something, something hard. Something able to make the dozer jerk. The next thing I knew, we were mid-air and headed straight for the plastic cap opening of what I suspected to be the fuel tank. I was right. I closed my eyes the second I hit the cap. A burning pain coursed throughout every inch of my body. I was under gas, liquid gas, fuel. I reacted as fast as possible and pushed Jeanette up, hoping she hadn't been soaked at all. I panicked and jumped up further than meaning to, landing on the roof of the bulldozer.

The roof was surprisingly very cooling, but maybe that was just in comparison to the burning fuel. I rolled around as best I could to stop the stinging. Was this what it was like to be lit on fire? The terrible smell of gas was everywhere and the fuel soaked my fur from head to toe, making it harder to move.

"Jeanette, did any get on you?" I cried. The fuel stung and there was nothing I could do to make it stop. Thankfully the sun wasn't around to add to the heat and make it worse, if it were, I'd have probably given up and passed out from heat or caught on fire. My own tears cooled my face.

"Just my feet," She replied, "It really stings."

"Heh, I know. At least that's all that got on you." I optimistically said. Until now, she didn't seem to realize how soaked I was.

"Are you okay?!" She cried and her eyes went wide; she gently touched my shoulder which sent a terrible pain through my shoulder, like an electric shock. I didn't let any pain show in my facial expression, I only nodded. "Did you swallow any…?" The worry in her voice burned more than the fuel that dripped off my fur. I hesitated; I wasn't sure if I swallowed any, my throat didn't burn and there was no strange taste in my mouth, but I had gone under and it could have crawled in through my nose or even through my closed lips.

"N-No." I said half-hardheartedly, not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to tell the truth and worry her more, "Come on, we have to get to the engine." She didn't argue; we locked hands and painfully hopped down to the hood of the dozer. It took all of my strength just to look for the opening of the hood and it was even worse in the attempt to lift it open. _"Pull!"_ I screamed to myself, _"We can't give up!"_ Adrenaline kicked in and almost completely by myself, I ripped the hood open and help it up so Jeanette could fit in. "You first." I told her and she slowly but assuredly climbed in.

"Now you." She said and was about to get in position to hold the hood. THUMP! Just as I was about to jump in, I flew back and the hood dropped. "Ahh!" Jeanette's scream faded as the hood separated us and she was lost somewhere in the hood with the engine. The sharp jerk from the bulldozer sent me back down to the mould blade and back into the painful tossing and turning of dirt and rock. The only up side to the pain was the cooling effect the debris had on the burning gas. The blast burried me deep and as the debris fell on me, pounding me with the cold pebbles and dirt, I could feel some push it's way down my throat. I couldn't close my mouth, and the taste of the rubble was awful and kind of reminded me of Dave's cooking. I wondered if I'd ever see Dave again; surely, if I made it out of this alive he would kill me. It would be worth getting to see him. It would be worth getting to see everyone. Alvin would forever hold me against my crazy disobedience against Dave, Theodore would worry and care for me, and tell me how to get better. Brittany and Eleanor would kill me if anything happened to Jeanette, but I would gladly go back to them no matter the consequence.

I pushed my way to the bottom of the blade and out of the dirt that tried to drown me. I was able to get a quick look at The Gardens; or should I say The Graveyard, because that's what it looked like. The sky was dark and only a small patch -maybe an acre that stood right in front of the dozer- had vegetation. I stared straight ahead and noticed that only an arms-length away, standing tall, was Jeanette's violet, the next victim of the bulldozer that swallowed Jeanette herself.

"_Jeanette, you better be safe," _I thought,_"You're smart enough to stop this yourself." _I didn't think the flower was real at first, but when the edge of the blade neared it even closer and I could feel the soft petals, I knew it had to be real.

"_That flower's a goner."_ I thought, _"And so am I."_


	10. Chapter 10

Jeanette's Point of View

"Simon!" I called for perhaps the fifth time. I was all alone with the steaming engine, doing my best not to touch the scalding metal. The only light that gave me any sense of sight came from a small opening above my head. The hood was being held open by something; it wasn't a big opening, maybe a fly could fit through, but with the sky getting ever darker, my vision was dim and blurry. It was nearly impossible to see anything, even the engine that that couldn't be any more than half a foot in front of me. I tried to push my glasses higher up on my face to get a better view, but instead I felt a sharp pain in my eye.

"Ow!" I yelped and realized for the first time that my glasses were missing, _"Uh oh."_ I thought and looked hopelessly around the small ledge I stood on. I swayed my head upwards, dreading what I already knew to be true; my glasses, with their stable lenses and tough rims held up the hood. Of course it just had to be my glasses! Not a rock, not a clump of dirt; my stupid glasses held the hood in place. "Why does there always have to be a choice?" I complained to myself. Without my glasses, I was next to useless, but I couldn't move them and take away my source of light, then I really would be useless, I'd have no hope of disabling the engine and stopping the bulldozer. _"Guess I'm alone on this." _I wasn't sure what happened to Simon, but it must have been serious; he wouldn't have left me here to fend for myself, would he? After everything said and done, would Simon leave me alone in a Bulldozer? No. He wasn't like that; if he wasn't here, than something must have happened, Simon was no coward…

My mind was made up, I would have to disable the engine either without my glasses, or not at all, and I was taking the chance, even if it was dangerously reckless. I carefully climbed down the ledge and slowly slid my way to the side of the engine, however I slipped like the clumsy idiot I was and placed my hands on the engine. The metal machinery burned with a stronger intensity than the fuel and I pulled back that instant and blew on my hands, though this would be no help.

"_Okay, Jeanette, think."_ I thought sternly, _"How do you disable an engine?"_ I looked around for anything on the metal that might be breakable or anything that could be of use. _"Simon would know what to do…"_ He was brilliant! Smarter than anyone I knew and he applied his knowledge as best he could. I wished he was here, but knowing him, he was probably off convincing the head worker to stop what he was doing.

"_Jeanette!" _His voice startled me, echoing several times before my name faded. I couldn't tell where his voice was coming from; the small gap in the hood was bare, free of the chipmunk I hoped would come to my rescue.

"S-Simon?" I called. No answer, "Simon?"

"_Jeanette, you can do this."_ His voice was calm and bounced off each metal wall; or was it all inside my head? _"You are smart and brave and strong, you can do this." _

"Where are you?" He never answered; wherever he was before, he was gone now. That's how I knew his voice was only in my head, he wasn't really around. He wouldn't have left. I blindly continued my search for anything that could used against the bulldozer. I was used to the burning in my hands, but didn't complain when the rough, hot metal vacated my touch and was replaced by a softer material, a more flexible material, a safer material: rubber. A wire! A wire that had some connection to the engine. What did a wire do for an engine, though? I was no mechanic, but I was positive that if I could break the wire, I could stop the bulldozer.

"Ugh!" I grunted as I tried to rip apart the wire. No good, I was too weak, too tired; I needed something stronger. Again I thought of Simon. He was skinny, but he was strong. I needed to improvise… Pliers? No possible way for me to get a pair. I needed something off-hand… "Teeth!" I snapped. Would that be dangerous, biting a wire? Wasn't that something parents prevent their children from doing? _"Dave isn't here,"_ I thought, _"And I've already come this far." _Without thinking another thought, I pulled the wire tight with my hands and chomped down as hard as I could using my naturally powerful teeth. Not half a second after biting down, a slight shock wave was sent through my body that temporarily made me feel numb and forced me back into the metal wall as the bulldozer jerked and squealed. I heard screaming, but I couldn't tell if that was the driver's or my own. Without feeling, I could have been sneezing for all I knew. The noise died down and the only thing that entered my eardrums was the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the large vehicle.

I regained feeling in my body and wished I could bite the wire again; the pain that was being sent through my hands, legs, feet and lungs was unbearable. Broken bones? I wouldn't know until I'd get the chance to see a veterinarian…I'd get the chance! The bulldozer was stopped completely and me and Simon would get to see each other happily.

"_Simon!"_ I screamed in my head and jumped up and pushed through the hood opening, being sure to grab my glasses along the way. "Simon!" I panted happily through the cold rain that felt so perfect against my hot fur. My happiness was short lived when I got a good look at the landscape. Barren, The Gardens were stripped almost entirely naked of any flowers that should have once inherited the land. The only vegetation that remained was a tiny patch of grass. I took a second look around, no violet… No flowers of any kind stood tall. Was this supposed to be a victory? The flower that Simon gave me was gone, our special place entirely was dead! An enormous pile of dirt and debris rested against the mould blade of the dozer. If this was a victory, this was a hollow victory. A simple lawnmower and shovel could deal with the rest of the job! The small crowd across the fifteen acre barren landscape I knew had Dave and my sisters. My beautiful sisters that worked so hard for this place…

"Simon?" I was getting scared, fear that Simon wasn't around or even within the crowd sprung up in my mind. A piercing cough interrupted my worry. "Simon?!" I hopped off the hood and onto the large pile of dirt that was slowly turning into mud from the rain. The mud slowly shuffled but didn't rise much. I dug through the filth as best I could and soon dug up Simon's head. Fearing the worst, I used the last of my strength to pull him out of the heavy pile. He coughed viciously and the stench of the fuel that soaked his fur stung my nose and gave me a headache, the filth matted in with his fur gave him a dead appearance, but I could see his chest and stomach rise and fall with each slow breath; he was alive. His eyes were open, but the darted around in a panicked state.

"J-Jeanette…?" He coughed and reached up to touch my face as if I was an illusion. He tried to sit up, but fell back down after each attempt, which was followed by a series of dry heaves. He looked so broken, it was breaking my own heart.

"Shh…" I whispered as tears formed in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks, "Everything's going to be okay." The rain poured down hard and I couldn't tell if he heard me or not. He was freaking out and I needed to calm him down, he needed rest, he needed to stop worrying and think of himself for a change.

"_I remember tears streaming down your face_

_When I said __I'll__ never let you go_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light_

_I remember you said, _

_Don't__ leave me here alone_

_But all __that's__ dead and gone and passed tonight"__As I sang, his wild eyes began to calm and his breathing became more steady._

"_Just close your eyes_

_the__ sun is going down_

_You'll__ be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound" _

I kissed Simon's cheek softly and ignored the faint taste of gas and mud. I let him lay with his eyes closed and I could feel his hands try to pull me close. I obliged and gently lay my head down on his steady chest and let him hold me. His arms warmed me in the midst of the freezing rain and his heartbeat was more relaxing than the tapping of the falling water.

His breathing was steady for a few minutes, but as time went by it slowed and continued to to slow until I could no longer hear it or feel it. I shot my head up and stared at his face, lost as to what I should do. His cracked glasses remained still on his nose and around his soaked head, his ears lay to the sides. His earlier dead position seemed all too real to me as the seconds slowly went by.

"N-No…" I whispered, "No!" I moved closer and whispered to him. "Simon, don't leave me." I kissed him softly on the lips, desperate for a response. No response. He didn't return the kiss, he didn't move. I began to sob into his soft, matted neck, secretly praying for a pulse, when something wrapped around me. A pair of arms. I didn't know who they belonged to and I didn't care. All I knew is that they didn't belong to Simon. I shoved the arms away and threw myself back onto Simon. "Simon, you can't leave me. Not after everything." I desperately cried into his ear, "I'm the flower, aren't I?" I pulled out the note that I carried around with me everywhere, the note he gave me on my birthday. "You did all of this for a flower, but not the violet." I started to blubber, unable to understand my own words.

With the rain dripping down my glasses and the tears drenching my eyes, there was no way of telling who was trying to tear me and Simon apart, but I refused. I wouldn't leave him, not unless I passed out and had no way of pushing the others away.

"_Simon, I won't leave you." _I thought and clung to him. Whoever tried to separate us had given up and allowed me to stay with him. His body was still, but every nerve of my own body told me it wasn't lifeless. I laid my head back down on his chest, knowing it wouldn't rise, nor would it fall.

"Let me be your flower…" I whispered before feeling something hit my head and blacking out.

**Hello, Readers and Writers, just wanted to say that I do not own the song featured in this chapter; more to come soon! (Told you ;) )**


	11. Chapter 11

Jeanette's Point of View

A white room and a warm blanket greeted me three times, each after waking up from unconsciousness and each time I lasted longer before passing out into a deeper sleep. Finally I managed to stay awake for more than a few seconds and I got the opportunity to get a look at my surroundings. I lay in a solid cage, the door was open so I guessed that I was free to come and go. The inside of the cage reflected the thick, white blanket that I was wrapped in. It was a strong reflection that made the whole cage look white. It was spacious enough for me to fit my bed from home in here as well as anything a chipmunk might need. It reminded me of my locker back at school. My vision was blurry again and my glasses were who knows where, so I decided to rely on my other senses to guide me. I wiggled my furry ears and my soft nose and shook my hands, which were still sore, still healing. Was I in any danger here? My hands weren't broken, but with the burns they received I wouldn't be surprised if I couldn't use them. My ears sang silence although I expected to hear the bulldozer blast and start up again or even the storm I swear I was in not long ago… or a heartbeat. I sniffed for any familiar scents; gasoline, sweat, mud; nothing like that shoved it's way up my nose, yet there was still something familiar.

I smelled something good, better than good; like it was freshly baked, I smelled a cookie. I followed my nose, spreading out my hands in case I bumped into anything. I shivered as I stepped onto the floor, ice cold compared to the blanket that was thick enough to act as a bed. I jumped as my hands hit the steel wall, the cold soothed the burns, but by now wasn't needed. I eventually reached the plate that held the cookie, surprised that my glasses presented themselves to me on top. I put them on, regaining my vision happily. I could see again!

I weighed the still warm cookie in my hands. The texture and warmth felt nice especially compared to all the dirt I climbed through recently. The cookie looked professionally baked and when I took a bite, it melted in my mouth. I recognized it immediately, Eleanor had baked it, I could recognized anything she made with only a taste. The chocolate chips, warm enough to kiss your taste-buds without having to chew and the cookie itself was chewy enough. I saved the rest of the deliciously baked good for later and decided to explore, to learn where I really was. I stepped up to the edge of the cage and glared intensely around the room. It was clear to me that I was in a veterinarian's office. There were shelves full of medicine and books, doors on both sides of the room, and surgical equipment on a desk on the other side of the room. If I didn't get dizzy with each step, I'd have jumped down to the table below the cage.

"Oh good, you're up." A voice came from the left side door, "You're family will be thrilled to know." I turned to see a young woman with brown hair and wearing a white lab coat. She seemed friendly compared the construction workers that I was used to, but I still had my doubts on trusting her. She knew my family though, could she really be that dangerous?

"My family…" I whispered and my heart filled with anticipation, "Simon too?" I asked before the woman could fetch everyone. She seemed not to hear me, either that or she ignored the question which made me worry.

"Jeanette!" I heard my sisters scream and dash through the door that the woman held open. A happy pain reached me as Brittany and Eleanor tackled me, showering me with hugs and then with questions.

"Jeanette, are you feeling okay?" Brittany asked.

"Did you get my "get well" cookie?" Eleanor followed up. I answered the questions one at a time starting with Eleanor's.

"It was delicious! Thank you." I smiled and hugged my little sister. Now for Brittany's, "I feel okay, sore hands a headache." Brittany lowered her head when I mentioned my headache, her voice quivered.

"Sorry…" A confused look was spread across my face, why would she be sorry?

"For what?" I asked.

"Hitting you unconscious… I tried to be gentle." By now tears were forming in her eyes, "Y-You were delirious. I had to do something." Her hands shook on their own and I thought she would break down.

"Thank you…" I hugged her and now it was her turn to be confused.

"You're thanking me for hitting you?" She quivered.

"You saved my life by doing that." I knew this, I was stopping not only myself, but Simon too from reaching medical attention, "Because of you, I'm alive and Simon gets a chance, right?" She remained quiet, but smiled and hugged me back.

"You are in big trouble, young lady." Dave said walking into the room looking distraught.

"Dave!" I exclaimed and despite my dizziness, jumped up to him. He was angry, but judging by the look on his face, he was happy to see me.

"It's great to see you too." There was a strange emptiness in his voice, one that both me and my sisters could feel. A question hung in the air, one that clenched my sides and disturbed my thoughts, one that I was scared to know the answer to.

"Where's Simon?" I expected Dave to be quiet too, like the woman, but instead he answered almost right away.

"Follow me." His reply was more towards my sisters, in my condition, Dave was more than willing to give me a ride. He took me through a metal door and into the next room; it was like a waiting room, the kind you see at a hospital, except it was different, there was a window to a separate room that through it I could see a bunch of people, either holding tools or glaring down at whatever was on the table… I could have guessed what, or who, was on it in one shot. "He's still in surgery."

"He's alive though?" I couldn't believe it, his heart had stopped beating and yet here he was, still fighting; I knew I could sense life in him.

"That's what we're trying to find out." Dave said coldly. The window was for anyone who wanted to watch the surgeries take place. I suspected the room to be sound-proof so no one could disturb the surgeons. On the ledge of the window stood Simon's brothers, Alvin and Theodore.

"How long have they been sitting there?" I asked Brittany.

"Ever since you guys got here," She replied, "About a day." I was petrified. All that time I've been out, useless, I couldn't even be there to support Simon! Brittany always seemed to sense what I was thinking, she gave me a side hug when Dave let me down and after, I headed straight for the window ledge.

"Jeanette, you're okay!" Theodore lit up and lifted his gaze from the activity going on the other side of the window. I gave him and Alvin a hug, but Alvin didn't seem to notice. "We've been so worried." I knew they worried, but I also knew that their main focus was their brother, and so was mine. I gave a quick glance to Alvin, who barely acknowledged I was here; he looked like a wreck. His ears drooped and his hazel eyes were dry and glued to the window. His fur was messy and he looked like he hadn't slept at all in the past twenty-four hours. I felt like I should say something, but he beat me to it.

"I know we fight," He said, "I know we get on each others nerves and have times where we've wanted to kill each other, but I can't stand his life really being on the line, I can't imagine a world where we won't hear his brainy attitude or his complaints about me not being responsible. I know he can pull through this, if he can deal with me, he can pull through this." Alvin was crying, although I never expected him to admit it, he did nothing to hide his tears for his brother. This got Theodore to cry too and as the two brothers cried, all else was silent. The activity behind the window quickened, as if something had gone wrong; I noticed tools being handed back and forth between surgeons. I couldn't see Simon's head or face, but I knew which side of the table it was on. I wished I could see his face, see his eyes open in their usual calm manner and hear his voice that always relaxed me.

"Jeanette," The woman from before, one of the vets, tapped me on the shoulder, "You need to take a pill now."

"Could you please give it to me here?" I asked politely, "I don't- I can't leave." She nodded and smiled and brought me my pill, my medication that I would have to take for the next four weeks, once a day. I didn't on plan on leaving, I couldn't leave Simon in this state, he needed all the support he could get. I wouldn't leave this spot until I was allowed to go in and see Simon myself. Alive. Alvin was right, there was no way Simon could lose this fight, he was too strong, too stubborn.

Eventually an hour went by and the vets still seemed hard at work. I didn't know the time and I didn't care. Alvin and Theodore were forced by Dave to take a nap and I knew that I would soon be forced the same. My sisters stood by side and if not for the situation at hand, this would be a happy moment. Brittany and Eleanor tried to brighten the mood by telling me funny stories an even by singing. While singing was fun and it did calm me down and relieve a hint of stress, I almost fainted when the vets revealed the blood soaked cloth through the window. That cloth had Simon's blood, the longer I stared at it, the more nauseated I got. Pure white to crimson red, it was a nightmarish thought to think, Simon losing so much blood, being on the brink of death, all for a stupid flower. Did I mean me or the violet?

"You know he went through all of this for you." Brittany stated, trying to make me feel better, but with my thoughts, it had a higher chance of making me feel worse. Was Simon in this state because of me? "You're lucky to have him." She was talking like Simon was alive and well. I wanted to believe in her tone, believe that the chipmunk would live and I would get to hug him and kiss him. I refused to believe that he was a lost cause.

The door to the surgery room opened and the lead surgeon walked out and closed it gently like only a surgeon could. All seemed to have died down; I missed the clean-up and I wasn't sure if I should be happy about that or not. I hopped over to the surgeon and looked up at him dead in the eye. He returned the gaze with his bloodshot eyes and I was quickly intimidated. He had a scruffy beard and a surgical mask, gloves, and cap. He took off his small glasses and blinked.

"W-What was wrong with him?" I asked timidly.

"He ingested not only rock and mud, but gasoline as well, we had to get to his stomach and even check his heart, lungs and throat. He has a concussion as well as the need of a surgically repaired nerve in his arm. Amazingly, the only broken bone was one in his wrist, but most of his torso is bruised, including his ribs, it was hard to get into him." I couldn't bear to hear anymore.

"B-But he's alive…? I blubbered. The vet sighed and he bent down to stare at me, eye to eye.

"I've done all I can."


	12. Chapter 12

Simon's Point of View

_Am I dead? Am I alive? I don't know the answer to either of those questions. Where am I? All I see is darkness. I've seen a light at the end of a tunnel. Was that death? Is death a light? I can't leave Jeanette. I can't leave my flower, I need to be with her. I swear I could see my own blood. I can't breathe. I can't move. I can't do anything. Am I dead? I don't want to die, I need to protect Jeanette. What am I without her? I'm a dead chipmunk. What is she without me? If I'm alive, I must do what I've thought over in my head hundreds of times. I have to show her my true feelings and treat her with all the love she deserves; I can't let her be in danger, I'll take the risk, the blame, the consequences for anything and everything as long as she's safe. I'll do anything for her if only I live. _

My vision was slowly coming back to me. I didn't know where I was and the first thing I heard was a soft breathing. Without my glasses I was blind; my body ached and as I took a breath, I winced, pain in my chest after each breath and I noticed that it wasn't my own breathing that I heard. I wasn't alone. I couldn't turn my head to see, in my state of confusion, I half-expected to be beaten by rocks and dirt if I turned my head. The last thing I remember seeing was Jeanette, the last thing I remember feeling was her soft hands and the pounding raindrops against my face, but the last thing I heard was paradise in the dystopia I lived through, the last thing I heard before going out like a light was Jeanette's beautiful voice singing to me. If I truly cheated death, than I was lucky to get the chance to hear her sing again, assuming that Jeanette was alive. No! I can't think like that. She's alive because she's strong.

"Welcome back." I jumped at the sound of a soft voice. As if knowing I couldn't turn my head, the owner of the voice bent over me without touching the cozy bed I lay on, at least I think it was a bed, maybe it was a blanket. It was impossible to think of anything other than to breathe, my head beat harder than any drum and at first, I couldn't understand what the man had said. The man had caramel skin and a scruffy beard, he wore glasses like my own, only they barely fit over his gray eyes. "Hello?" He said in a gentle tone, "Can you hear me?" I nodded slowly as I tried to comprehend what was going on. Who was this man? Was he friend or foe? "I bet you're wondering what happened." He stated. I nodded again. "I'll tell you everything you want to know, but not right now, right now, just lie there, don't close your eyes, you may not open them again if you do." his warning was more than enough for me, but I wanted to know where I was and how long I've been out. I tried to use my hands to push me up from my position, but collapsed with my left wrist writhing in pain.

"_Smooth, Simon,"_ I thought,_ "real smooth." _I did my best to sit up, but the furthest I could go was a thirty degree angle. I was already tired, however after the fatigue from the anesthesia, I figured I could do more as time went by. I knew I had surgery. I knew that much. I accepted my position that was more comfortable and gave me a stronger, more clear breath. The softness of the blanket I lay in was like a month old, newborn chipmunk's fur, nothing like it. I tried to move my body, any part that could move was a goal made. I started off with something simple; me feet. They moved without pain. Next my legs, no problem. When I got to my hands, I worried. I already knew something was wrong with my left wrist, would my right hurt too? Carefully, I twisted my right right wrist back and forth and was satisfied that no pain struck me. Before I could try my mid-body and standing up, the man returned, only this time he had company.

Following the man was Dave and on each of his shoulders stood two chipmunks; on his right shoulder were my brothers and on his left were Brittany and Eleanor. I was relieved at first at the sight of seeing them all, but panicked when there was no Jeanette. I opened my mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Dave.

"Simon, thank goodness you're alright." The man, who I assumed was a veterinarian, wouldn't let Dave pick me up. Alvin and Theodore jumped from Dave's shoulder and landed in front of me.

"Dude, you're okay!" Alvin exclaimed with a big smile. His loud voice hurt, but it was worth seeing him again, so I smiled back.

"Nice to see you too." I croaked. Hearing my own voice for the first time in probably days made me wonder how I'd made it as a singer, though I hadn't had anything to drink for a long while.

"You sound funny." Theodore said and I wanted to laugh, but it hurt to breathe, laughing would be excruciating. I enjoyed being with my brothers again. Theodore told me a story about how worried he had been and Alvin joked around, but I sensed he was happier than he was letting on. I focused on Jeanette's sisters, why was Jeanette not with them?

"Where's Jeanette?" I asked, worried that something had happened to her. Alvin pointed beside me and I attempted to turn my head, afraid I'd broken something or even worse, that Jeanette would be in a cast. As I turned my head, her figure came into my blurry view. "May I have my glasses please?" Dave gently placed my glasses on my nose and around my head. Jeanette came into view, asleep next to me and breathing softly, the same breathing I heard when I first woke up.

"She wouldn't leave," The Vet said, "She said you should at least have your flower with you." Did Jeanette really say that? I thought back to when she said she solved the riddle in my note way back on her birthday. Did she know it was her all along? Theodore looked nauseous with the Vet in the room.

"Simon won't die, will he?" Theodore asked and the way his voice moved made him sound like he would cry if the Vet didn't answer.

"_I had no intentions of dying." _I thought. I wanted to tell Theo that I'd be perfectly fine, but that was for the Vet to say. From the corner of my eye, I could see everyone looking at the Vet, but the sleeping Jeanette had most of my attention. As long as Jeanette would be okay and safe, I had no real fear of death. "Dave, can you get me my sweater please?" I shivered. I was covered only by the blanket and I was beginning to get cold, even with my fur.

"I would advise against that right now," The Vet said, "You have a concussion, you don't need to be squeezing your head through anything right now." A concussion? That would explain the headache, I wondered what other damage my body had suffered. Everyone still glared at the Vet, they all wanted to know my status. "When the concussion heals, get as much rest as possible, that and daily medication and you should end up okay." Everyone seemed to light up at what the Vet said. I would live. I would get to enjoy life, enjoy being with Jeanette, who's eyes fluttered open at the sudden noise. Her eyes went wide at the sight of me and a huge smile sprawled across her face and even with my injuries, she threw herself at me; I didn't mind. With everyone there, she pressed her lips against mine and wrapped her arms around me.

"I think they like each other." I heard Theodore whisper to Alvin, who just smacked his forehead. Theodore, my innocent and sometimes clueless brother.

"You're alive!" Jeanette cried and kept her arms around me; even with her warm arms and the blanket I shivered. My chest hurt as she leaned against me, but I refused to let that get the best of me. This is what I looked forward to after all this time, just being with Jeanette. I shivered again through our hug and wondered how I could be so cold.

"He looks cold," Dave said, "are you sure he can't put on his sweater?"

"I guess it's okay if you're careful putting it on." I rose stiffly with the help of Jeanette and out of the blanket. Embarrassed by what I saw when looking down, I quickly covered up. It the midst of my chest and my stomach was bare, no fur whatsoever.

"What's wrong, Simon?" Jeanette asked. Embarrassment took over and my face burned, my cheeks flushed. Like a baby chipmunk just born, my pink skin was exposed between my chest and stomach. Now I knew why I was so cold. I was missing fur. Was it necessary for surgery?

"Heh, um the Vet kind of had to um…" I was starting to stutter again; great, just great! Jeanette giggled as the blanket fell. It appeared that I wouldn't die from injury, just embarrassment.

"I think it's cute." She giggled and pecked me on the cheek. Her sisters and my brothers were laughing their heads off and it felt like hours before I got my sweater.

"Don't worry, Si." Alvin laughed, "It'll grow back." I gently put the blue sweater on, being careful of my head, wrist, and torso; I finally felt secure. I dug my right hand in the pocket and smiled.

"Simon. Jeanette." The Vet said, "You have a visitor.

"Who?" We both said at once. By now, I was able to turn my head without much pain and when I turned to see who it was, I winced, but not because it hurt to move. The man who stood in the door was tall, large, had a short goatee, and a rough voice as he spoke.

"You two," He began, "have broken a lot of lawful acts. And I want to know why." This man seemed familiar, but he wore a tie, I knew him from somewhere. I didn't recall knowing someone important enough to wear a tie.

"We couldn't let those workers tear that place down," Jeanette said, "That's our special place; there are so few wonderful places like The Gardens, we couldn't let construction take over that."

"You two have done a lot for The Gardens; you've protected it, guarded it with your lives." We stayed silent as the man spoke in his gruff manner. "Being the man in charge, I have to take all of this into consideration." The man in charge? He was a construction worker! I remembered hearing his voice, this was the man who told everyone to clear out. This man was the lead worker, this man was our enemy.

"You're the one who wanted The Gardens gone." I stated, "How can we trust anything you have to say?" The man seemed humored by my confidence.

"I'm here to discuss the state of your 'special place'."

"You mean you don't want to tear it down?" I asked and began to fill myself with hope.

"I didn't say that; I mean, I'm here to make a compromise."


	13. Chapter 13

Jeanette's Point of View

It's been a month. A whole month since Simon got home from the vet's office. A month since we officially started a relationship together and a month and a half since the battle against the bulldozer. It's also been a month and a half since I got to talk to Simon alone, have alone time like the couples do in the movies. I wanted to be alone with Simon… My boyfriend. I still couldn't get used to the fact that I could call him that now. The tall, handsome, blue-eyed chipmunk that I've been crushing on since the day I met him at West Eastman High School was now someone that I could call mine, and he was alive. The Vet had said that Simon's recovery was going well and as long as Simon stayed away from the chemicals for a while to let his lungs rest, he would have no problem with the fuel he ingested only a little while back. Simon had to miss a lot of school due to his injuries, but they didn't slow him down much, and I privileged myself with bringing him his homework everyday. /his concussion healed fairly quickly and within a day from coming home he was up and around. His bruised torso wasn't so bruised by week three and the worst his ribs felt was probably a simple soreness. Simon's wrist was another story; he no longer needed to wear a cast, but I knew that it bothered him from time to time. His surgically repaired arm was no trouble to him, which surprised the vet the most out of everyone. Overall, he was healing miraculously and would be like his old self in no time.

Today was our first day of freedom, this morning our first morning of no longer being grounded in a serious manner. Dave said that he would let us leave the house today, though we weren't allowed out long; only until the afternoon, which is exactly why we planned to leave the house early. This time alone with Simon I happily accepted and I wouldn't let our so called "severe punishment" get in the way of enjoying my time with my boyfriend. It was a warm Saturday, no school and an ideal day to be outside.

"Are you ready to go?" Simon's small voice reached me and I cherished the fact that I could hear him sound like himself. His voice was no longer croaky and was back to it's happy sounding tone. He stood eagerly at the door waiting for me. Every time I looked at him, I smiled just because I knew that I was so close to never being able to see him again. Simon may have gotten his life back, but I felt like the lucky one. His injuries didn't faze him at all, if anything, if you asked him, they never happened. His strength and his stubbornness, his bravery and the natural goodness in his heart, all of these were what pushed him through those tough days when he couldn't even walk. This chipmunk, my chipmunk, cheated death and he said he did it all for me and I would always believe him.

"All set," I smiled, "Where do you want to go on our first day back from the prison of being grounded?" He smirked and walked over to me, took my hands in his, and kissed me softly on the lips. His confidence had risen immensely ever since we started to go out, but he still had his cute, shy moments, usually when it came to us doing anything romantic. I didn't mind, his shyness was cute and I knew he meant well.

"Where else?" He spoke softly into my ear and dragged me by the hand and out the door. Over the short walk to our destination we talked, starting out with small stuff, what school was like now that it was close to ending for the summer, what we planned to accomplish over the long vacation, but then we got into what happened a month and a half ago. We never did tel each other what happened when we split up, we just got the just of it and let it be, but I wanted to know what happened to him and I was sure he wanted to know what happened to me. "Did my heart really stop beating?" Simon questioned after I told him how I stopped the bulldozer, he was still confused about the fact that he came back to life.

"Yes," I nodded, "And I couldn't be happier!" I expressed myself, my true feelings. It was easier to show my emotions to him, did it have to do with the fact that that we were together as more than just friends? I'm sure that was a factor, but ever since Simon died, I've become closer to him, trusting him with my deepest feelings and strongest emotions. I almost lost what I was too scared to have and wouldn't let anything ruin being with him, I would never take his life for granted.

"We'll see about that." He grinned and we continued to walk to our destination, The Gardens. The man in charge, a mister John Hope, had agreed to give us half of the land, seven and a half acres, with which we could regrow what The Gardens had lost. With the new land, we kept the same name and we were proud that it would no longer be harmed by construction workers. The only thing that grew, without our help was grass, grass and weeds, but today we would get the chance to work on The Gardens. The greenhouse lady that Simon told me about gave us the seeds we needed to plant flowers and today we would get at least half of them planted.

The other half of The Gardens, the half that John kept, had been turned into a small bed and breakfast. It didn't take long to build, I heard that the service there treated you like home, a classic tourist attraction. The bed and breakfast would be known for it's perfect view of The Gardens. John wasn't a bad guy, he even installed a hose in the bed and breakfast for us to use.

The day went by slowly and we worked hard with multiple needed breaks. I figured that if we could beat a bulldozer, starting a very large garden would be no problem, but boy was I wrong. I didn't want Simon to work too hard for fear that the affects of his injuries could still take place, it was disappointing that he still had to take his medication, but as long as it made him feel better, I was okay with it. By the time lunch came, we had half of The Gardens weed free and planted with seeds, roses, daisies, sunflowers, and tulips, but no violets. For two chipmunks, we worked pretty fast.

"I'm beat." I stated and wiped the sweat off my forehead with my furry and sweaty paw. My fur made me hotter than I needed to be, I didn't understand how Simon survived in his thick, blue sweater. Me? I wore a simple skirt and purple tee and I was boiling. The fur on his stomach and chest was beginning to fill in, his embarrassment was cute, but we both preferred him with his fur.

"Why don't you get a drink," Simon said and pointed over to the hose, "I'll keep working." I suddenly had a fun idea. Walking over to the hose, I pulled it out far enough to reach both me and Simon; I turned the nozzle and took a sip of the cold water and shivered as it ran down my throat. Instead of putting the hose away and turning it off, I aimed it straight for Simon and whistled. When he turned to see what was going on, I blasted him. "That's cold!" He exclaimed and ran over to me.

"Sorry." I laughed and lowered the hose. He didn't look mad, in fact he looked like he was having fun. Before I could react, he snatched the hose out of my grasp and began spraying me. He wasn't kidding when he said the water was cold, in fact, I think that was more of an understatement; the water was freezing! I reached my hand out for protection and grabbed hold of the hose and we took turns attacking each other with the ice-cold water. Eventually we stopped when the cold started to numb and with playtime over, we went back to work; hopefully by late afternoon (our temporary curfew) we would have The Gardens cleaned up and on it's way back to the natural beauty it had two months ago.

Work went by, but there was one spot I was afraid to visit. I stood only a few feet before the one spot in The Gardens that I would forever recognize, the spot where the violet grew was empty with only dirt to fill it's place. The violet was the most beautiful plant in all of The Gardens, and with it being a rare flower around here, I wanted to see it again. Sadly, that wouldn't happen because like the rest of The Gardens, the violet was torn, destroyed by a bulldozer, but Simon was alive, and that was everything and more compared to the flower.

"Jeanette?" Simon asked, "Are you okay?" He was quiet even though he was only a few feet away from me. I looked up from the spot and smiled at him.

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"You've been standing there for quite awhile. Something on your mind?" Being unable to lie to him, I told him about the violet and how I wished we could see it again, after-all, it was the violet that first ignited our relationship. As I told him what I thought of the flower, he moved closer to me with his hands in his sweater pocket and a smile on his face. The story I was telling faded as he pulled something out of his pocket.

"Oh my…" I gasped. The object Simon held in front of me had an emerald green stem and petals the color of my eyes. "But… I thought…" I stammered, I couldn't think of what to say. Simon gently placed the tip of his finger over my lips and threaded the violet through my hair. "It never wilted?" That was all I could spit out after moments of speechlessness.

"It showed no signs." Simon said, "It doesn't compare to your eyes, but I know how much this flower means to you." He had a grin across his face that would be impossible to wipe off.

"How did you get it?" I choked on every word and my throat told me I would start crying any minute, tears of joy for a change.

"When we got separated, I landed on the blade and the flower was about to be crushed." He began, "But instead I was able to pick it. I've been checking on it every day and it wouldn't wilt." I was sure that within the next couple of weeks the flower would wilt, but I was overjoyed to get the chance to see the violet once more in one peace. I really did have a miracle boyfriend, one that could defy death and still have time to save something as simple as a flower.

"Thank you." I whispered and hugged him tight. If I could stay this way forever, I would have, but I knew Dave would be wanting us home soon, "Can we go?" I asked, "I'm cold." My fur was soaked from our water play and even with the sun's rays shining down on me and Simon's arms wrapped around my body, I froze. Simon nodded and we started our way home and for the first time, I didn't have to worry about our special place. Simon didn't have to worry about our special place, we finally got the opportunity to just relax and be together and I secretly wished that I showed Simon my true feelings for him a long time ago.


	14. Chapter 14

Simon's Point of View

The violet wouldn't wilt, it just refused to die. Day by day, week by week, the purple flower stood strong and tall and more vibrant than the previous day. This flower really was special, but still not as special as my own flower was to me. The violet sat alone in a vase filled with water and each week I expected it to wilt and die and each week I was proven wrong. The flowers at The Gardens had begun to grow and last week we had our first visitor, followed by a family of visitors the next day. Finally, The Gardens was getting the treatment it deserved, and Jeanette and I were proud our hard work was finally paying off. The flower that now lived at home with us seemed to grow as we got happier and that is what made me realize how special this flower really was and why it meant so much to Jeanette.

One evening, after school and work at The Gardens, Jeanette and I sat on the couch stuck watching Alvin and Brittany play video games, our fur was soaking wet as water play had become a habit with Summer. We sat, huddled for a comforting warmth through the cold water and I thought that if Jeanette weren't here, I'd have died of boredom watching my brother beat Brittany, who looked like she too would die of boredom, at the video games he wasted hours away with. I knew Brittany wasn't much of a gamer, but I knew she wanted Alvin to be happy, ever since the concert, I've noticed they've gotten a bit closer. Me and Jeanette had a choice, either watch our siblings play their game (I'd rather watch it than play it) or help Theodore and Eleanor and Dave cook dinner. I'm not the best cook, the only thing I could rally make being a chemical reaction, so I had no real choice. I've never tasted Jeanette's cooking, but whether she could actually cook or not, she chose to stay with me. No argument sprung up this time about me and Jeanette kissing or acting like a couple, we knew our siblings were right and that we did romantic couple stuff like kissing and cuddling.

"Dinner!" Dave called and Alvin shot up immediately and left his game. Brittany looked pleased that she no longer had to play and strutted for the kitchen, followed by me and Jeanette who hopped hand in hand. The kitchen smelled of spaghetti and meatballs, a favorite of mine ever since Theodore had developed his own recipe for home-made noodles. As soon as he got his plate filled with food, Alvin smashed into it face first and gobbled down all he could. "Alvin, where are your manners?" Dave complained, "You're at the table." Alvin lifted his head with his cheeks puffed out, filled with spaghetti and smiled innocently as best he could.

"Sorry… Dave…" He mumbled and pulled a noodle out of his mouth and waved it in front of our father, "Want some?" Dave didn't looked amused, in fact, he looked rather disgusted, but everyone else at the table laughed, even me, because I knew that there was a time when I might not have been able to be here to see Alvin pester Dave with his nautical humor. This was how most dinners went in our house, most family dinners anyway. Sometimes, when Dave was too busy, we fended for ourselves, which usually meant Theodore or Eleanor whipped something up and sometimes we just forgot to eat; Dave wanted a family dinner tonight as today was the last day of school and he wanted to celebrate everyone's passing. Dave really was a good father and I really wasn't sure what life would be like without him even if he could be a little strict at times.

"As a result of all of you passing," Dave announced, "and with everyone getting older, I think it's time that the boys bunk in a separate room and the girls bunk in a separate room; you'll all have so much more space. Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor can keep the current room and decorate it however they want and Alvin, Simon, Theodore, you guys can have the attic. It's very spacious, you'll love it."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Simon and Jeanette, would it?" Alvin questioned and then lost track with what we all knew he didn't, "Wait, we have an attic? What else have you been keeping from us, David, if that is your real name."

"Alvin…" Dave began but was rudely interrupted.

"Because if you're a secret agent, too, than I call going on your next mission."

"Alvin." Dave said in a more serious tone and I knew what would come next. Alvin quickly switched topics again, just like a little kid, he had the attention span of a child.

"The attic better have a window and all the necessities." Alvin gasped and his eyes widened, "Can we get a mini-fridge?"

"ALVIN!" Dave yelled, signaling the end of dinner and the start of working on the new rooms.

It was late at night, I suspected around eleven, and everyone was finishing up with the movement of any furniture for their new rooms. Jeanette was up in her and her sisters room, probably having a fun time decorating, picking paint colors or finding some sort of design and I was stuck helping Dave and Theodore move our beds up and Alvin was quote, "supervising."

"Ugh." I grunted as me and Theodore dumped Alvin's bed in the corner of the attic.

"Why do I get the corner?" Alvin whined.

"Because you're the supervisor." I shot and patted him on the shoulder, which seemed to have shut him up; knowing that he would forever be sleeping in the corner for his great service in the move, I found myself amused by the fact that I got the area with the window. Alvin's bed was the last thing to be moved and I was glad that work was over; rather than going straight to bed like Dave and my brothers, I jumped down the stairs and slumped on the couch in the living room to relax. It's been months since I've given myself time to relax, or even to think about how things were going, when I wasn't working at The Gardens, trying to stop the construction workers, I was worrying about Jeanette, but now, with her being safe and sound, I could let my mind wander.

"Simon?" Jeanette's voice sang from the stairs after about fifteen minutes of free thought, "What are you still doing up?" She sounded tired yet at the same time energetic, I always had a little trouble deciding how she really was. Maybe it was from all her decorating, it was an exciting thing to do, so I guess I couldn't judge whether she could be tired or not.

"I couldn't sleep." I stated, hopping down off the couch, "Same thing with you?" She nodded her head slowly, but with a smile. I started walking to the stairs as she jumped down each step and eventually we met up in the middle of the living room and welcomed each other in a warm embrace. I could hear her soft breathing and as she lay her head on my shoulder for a second I thought she was going to fall asleep, but then music started playing, I couldn't pinpoint from where, but t was a slow song, like the kind that people play at their weddings. I tilted my head up I search of the source and found Brittany trying to hide on the steps with the stereo remote in her hand. I thought Alvin of all people would have interrupted the moment, but Brittany acted like Alvin every now and then. The music seemed to have relaxed Jeanette as she sighed softly into me and began rocking back and forth, so instead of pitting blame on her sister, I silently thanked her for giving us this fun, relaxing time. I could see the violet swim in it's vase as if it too were dancing to the music. I smiled and held my own flower closer as we slow-danced through the night.

**That was the first story in a series, dear readers and writers. I hope you enjoyed this story and I would like to thank you all for your support through my first story here on Fanfiction. Two people in particular, both great writers and enthusiastic readers gave me support throughout the beginning to the end and I would like to thank them. alvinnascar5 is great and even gave me my first review! He is rocking the Chipmunks and the Chipettes by placing them in what he loves, racing. He decked the munks out in cars in his story The Fastest and The Squeakiest. The second person I would like to thank who has become more than a reader, but also a friend, is Pokemon-Ranger-Trainor who currently hosts one of the best talk shows out there (I'm not even joking) The Ranger Show! These two have given me the most support for this story and I think they deserve a round of applause! **

**Throughout the story, I used many songs for the "fellas" to sing and for inspiration, I think they deserve their credit:**

**Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO**

**We're The Chipmunks by Alvin and The Chipmunks**

**Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae**

**Fireflies by Owl City**

**Make A Wave by Demi Levato and Joe Jonas**

**Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift. **

**Without these songs, this story just wouldn't be. Thanks to all of you readers and once again, I hope you enjoyed the journey! More is coming, that I promise you, Happy reading, and Happy Writing.**


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